Olivia's Marine
by SD130413
Summary: Olivia Benson once met a Marine. The last time she saw him it was to apologise before he left for duty but now he's back and he wants to see her!
1. Chapter 1

**So a one shot? Or if you want more review and tell me!**

Olivia was relaxing at home after a hard day and night of work. Her mind wouldn't rest after the horrible case they'd just closed and even though she'd been awake for thirty hours sleep didn't seem to be on the agenda.

As she snuggled into the couch with her coffee and watched a breakfast show that she wasn't really listening she almost missed the shrill ring of her cell phone. Groaning she checked the caller ID but the number was unknown. She debated quickly whether or not to answer it, she was off the clock and no one from work would call with a hidden number but knowing that it could be a victim reaching out to her, needing her, or even in trouble of sorts made her knock the little green button.

"Benson." She answered softly in case it was a victim, she didn't want to scare them off the phone.

"Detective Benson? I don't know if you remember me, it's Master Sergeant Dominic Pruitz."

Olivia was stunned.

"Master Sergeant. Of course I remember you." She said sitting bolt upright as she debated what to ask him. "How are you?"

"I'm well, I hope that you don't mind that I called." He said and it was obvious to Olivia that he was smiling down the phone.

"Of course not. What can I do for you?" Olivia replied with a smile of her own on her face.

"Well I arrived back in the city yesterday, I'm on leave and was wondering if you'd like to accompany me to dinner this evening, just to catch up." He said and Olivia could hear the confident Marine sounding a little shy.

"Oh uh wow uh…"

"I mean you don't have to but …"

"No I'd like to." Olivia said with a smile.

"Ok." He replied and Olivia heard a breath being expelled heavily through the phone. "Ok well uh meet you at Saudi's at seven?"

"Ok." Olivia replied. "I'll see you then." She said.

"See you." He replied before hanging up.

Olivia fell back into the couch with a look of complete wonder on her face. She hadn't seen or heard anything about the Marine she'd held a gun to since they closed the Jessie Crews' case, she'd spoken to him before he last deployed three months ago, she'd apologised to him for her reaction and given her explanation about her PTSD.

He was young. She remembered that and knew there had to be about five to ten years between them but she also did remember how handsome he had looked in his uniform and how his confidence radiated from his every pore.

* * *

Later that evening after a long nap and hot shower, Olivia dressed in a yellow silk tea length dress with gold heels and clutch, put on some make up and tidied up her hair before heading out to the restaurant. The cab pulled up outside and as she stepped out Dominic Pruitz walked towards her with a radiating smile.

"Detective Benson." He smiled taking her hand and kissing it.

"It's Olivia." She chuckled lightly remembering the last time she'd said the same thing.

"Dominic." He replied still holding her hand. "I made a reservation so our table should be ready." He said offering his arm out to her which she gladly took.

They walked into the restaurant with brilliant smiles on their faces. Olivia was in shock, except for a darker looking tan Dominic looked no different to the way he had looked standing in the elevator when she last saw him. Except now he wasn't in uniform instead he was wearing a navy blue morning suit with a blue shirt and black tie.

The concierge showed them to their table and Olivia allowed Pruitz to take off her coat and hand it over as he took off his own. She couldn't stop smiling as he pulled out her chair for her to sit down and once they were both seated with a glass of wine and ordered their food the conversation started.

"So Dominic, you wanna tell me how you got my phone number?" Olivia asked as she slowly played with her wine glass.

"I called the station." He said honestly. "To get that number I just had to look in the directory."

"Wow ok." She said shocked that he'd even thought about calling her let alone doing it and inviting her out to dinner.

"So how have you been Olivia?" He asked softly as his hand slipped over hers on the table, she knew what he was talking about and she knew he genuinely cared and wanted to know.

"Things are better." She replied. "I'm still in therapy and I'm still working at it but the flashbacks are gone and I haven't held a gun to anyone else's head." She said and they both laughed lightly.

"I'm glad to hear it." He said.

"Why didn't you tell your defence attorney that I had done it?" Olivia asked genuinely intrigued, she'd wondered a lot since the case.

"I told you, I knew my DNA wouldn't match. Why ruin a dedicated Detective's career over one mistake?" He replied sipping at his own wine still holding Olivia's hand.

"Fair enough." Olivia nodded. "Thank you."

"Don't ever thank me for it Olivia." He replied. "I knew I was innocent and you did your job that's all that matter's the ins and outs can be forgotten."

"Ok." She nodded guessing it was time to close that area of conversation. "So how long are you back for?"

"I'm back for four weeks." He smiled. "It's good to be back."

"No running after missing Marines this time?" She asked playfully.

"Nope." He replied with a shake of his head. "So how's everything at work?"

"It's still challenging, no two days are the same." Olivia replied with a shrug. "But my job isn't exactly dinner conversation." She said with a slight whispery laugh.

"No good point. We're here to enjoy so we'll forget about work. What about family?" He asked.

"Well I'm taking a guess here and saying you clearly know I'm not married." She laughed and he smiled sheepishly.

"I checked your hand last time we spoke." He admitted bashfully.

"I don't have any family, not really, my Mom passed away nine years ago and I have a brother who I haven't seen in three years but I didn't know about him till four years ago so…" Olivia cut herself off, family was a tough subject. "What about you?"

"No family, grew up in the system, signed into the Marines straight out of high school." He replied honestly. "To be honest, I used to hate leave from work, I'd find it boring but something tells me this leave is going to be the best leave ever."

They continued to eat and talk about likes and dislikes and anything they could that wasn't really personal. As they shared a sorbet desert Olivia's cell phone rang making her groan.

"I'm so sorry." She said shaking her head and grabbing her phone. "Benson."

_We've got a DB west ninety sixth I'll pick you up in ten_

"El I'm not home." She replied her cheeks flushing red.

_What? Where are you?_

"Saudi's." She replied looking over to a smiling Dominic.

_Want me to come get you there?_

"What so you can find out who I'm here with and run a background check, I don't think so Stabler I'll hop a cab and meet you there." She replied making Dominic laugh as he played with her soft hand.

_Fine. See you there._

She hung up the phone and looked at Dominic apologetically.

"I'm so sorry."

"Hey I get it duty calls but I'm home for four weeks and I will be expecting a do over." He said cheekily and she laughed.

"That I can do." She smiled. "I really had a great time." She said as Dominic called for the check.

"Me too Olivia, I really am holding you to a do over." He told her.

"If I get this case closed quick enough how does take out and wine at my place tomorrow night sound?" She asked.

"I'll need your address." He smiled.

"I'll need your phone number." She chuckled as she scribbled down her address on the back of one of her business cards.

"I have your so I'll text you it." He said as she handed the card over and took her hand. "I really did have a great time with you Olivia."

"Likewise." She smiled as he led her outside and hailed a cab for her. "So let me know about tomorrow?"

"Of course." She replied and he leant in to her slowly having seen her eyes flicker down to his lips.

The moment their lips touched Olivia's eyes fluttered closed. She felt the sparks between them as he held the kiss, soft and tender yet with some form of passion behind it. When the cab honked they jumped apart and laughed.

"I'll let you know about tomorrow." She said getting into the cab.

"You do that, goodnight Detective." He smiled.

"Good night Master Sergeant." She replied before he shut the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ok so apparently I spelt the dates name wrong in the last chapter it's Dominic Pruitt not Pruitz like I wrote,**

"So you going to tell me who you were on date with?" Elliot asked for what felt like the hundredth time, it was gone three in the morning and the case was a high priority, Olivia was still walking around the squad room now bare footed in her dress.

She had been all smiles since she'd left the restaurant, especially when she had been arriving at the crime scene and received a very sweet text message from Dominic. Elliot had been quite annoyed to find out she was on a date that he knew nothing about with someone she refused to talk about.

"Nope." Olivia replied as she stared at the crime scene board trying to figure out their next move on the case.

Elliot sighed, she always told him who she dated so it was strange for her not to have told him before it happened.

"How come you didn't tell me yesterday that you had a date, before we went home?" He asked as he played catch with a stress ball.

Olivia sighed and rolled her eyes, it was none of his business and she didn't want to indulge him but in saying that he was her best friend and he was the one that was supposed to tease her relentlessly while she only shared part of the details.

"I didn't know until I got home." Olivia replied with a shrug.

"So it was a last minute date? Someone you've been on a date with before?" Elliot asked with a knowing voice that made Olivia laugh because he didn't know a thing.

"Yes and no." Olivia replied.

"What?" Elliot asked truly confused.

"Yes it was last minute but no not someone I've been on a date with before but seeing as this date was interrupted and he's interested in a do over I would like to get home some time to get some sleep and get ready for the do over." Olivia replied just as Cragen stepped out the office.

"Both of you go home, come in for ten tomorrow, Munch and Fin can make the notification." He informed them and Olivia was quick to grab her shoes and coat.

"Want a lift?" Elliot asked.

"Seeing as I took a cab to the crime scene yes I'd like a lift home." Olivia replied with a smile. "But I will get a cab unless you promise not to question me any further about my date and trust me that I know that there is going to be nothing in his background check and when I tell you who it is you'll know why I knew."

"Fine." Elliot grumbled, he really didn't like the idea of Olivia going on a date with someone he didn't know anything about even though she was a grown woman who could take care of herself.

* * *

The next morning Olivia was on fire in the office. It was obvious to Elliot that she was desperate to close the case. She'd been on the phone with CSU and the ME trying to get them to hurry up with the test results for the DNA and Fingerprints and had been on edge when they were doing nothing.

When she disappeared from her desk Elliot couldn't help but be intrigued, he knew it was wrong but she'd left her phone on her desk and he reached for it, being careful not to be seen by either Munch or Fin.

He went into her text messages and found a dozen or more text messages between Olivia and some guy called Dominic. He knew he shouldn't have read them but intrigue got the best of him and he scrolled to the top of the conversation.

_Dominic: I had a really great time with you Olivia, hope to see you tomorrow x_

_Olivia: Me 2, hoping also will text to let you know x_

_Dominic: And if not bcz of work I'll be holding you to that do over x_

_Olivia: You better! I haven't had that much fun in a long time x_

_Dominic: Me either but that may have something to do with a 3 month tour x_

_Olivia: Yeah I think we can both agree our jobs and the word fun don't mix x_

_Dominic: To right! In saying that it makes nights like ours all the more special x_

_Olivia: Absolutely! _

_Dominic: You still at work?_

_Olivia: No, just got in, have to be back in the morning x_

_Dominic: Well I'll let you get some beauty sleep then xxx_

_Olivia: Goodnight xxx_

_Dominic: Good Morning Sunshine xxx_

_Olivia: Good Morning xxx_

…

Elliot didn't get the chance to read the rest as there was a cough behind him.

"Why are you looking through my phone?" Olivia asked snatching the device from his hands.

"I was just…"

"Looking through my text messages, Elliot you have no right!" Olivia yelled angrily.

"Liv I…"

"Don't you dare apologise! You … you… ugh I'm so mad with you right now." Olivia snapped grabbing her coat and walking off, Elliot knew exactly where it was she was going and decided he'd give her some time before following her but that was when he saw Fin walk past him.

Olivia stood on the roof with a manila file in one hand and her phone in the other. She couldn't believe the audacity Elliot had to look through her text messages and she was very pleased that she didn't add Dominic's surname when she saved the number because she knew Elliot would have been running a background check on him at once.

She heard the heavy door open behind her but she didn't look, the last person she wanted to see was Elliot.

"Go away Stabler!" She growled.

"It's me baby girl." Fin replied as he walked towards her.

"What do you want Fin?" She asked trying to mask how upset she was with Elliot.

"Just come to make sure you're alright, you looked pretty pissed with Stabler." He said as he came to stand beside her.

"He's … ugh… sometimes he feels like some controlling parent, going through my phone? I mean what's up with that?" Olivia sighed she was seriously pissed.

"He probably feels like he needs to be the over-protective big brother sometimes." Fin suggested. "We look out for you Liv, a lot of it because you have no one else to look out for you."

"But he doesn't trust me Fin." Olivia replied. "I have done nothing to warrant him any right to go through my privet text messages."

"It's an NYPD issued phone…"

"Don't try and defend him, it might be an NYPD phone and that they pay a percentage of the phone bill but it's still my phone and those texts are privet." Olivia explained. "Not even he rat squad go through cops phone without due cause."

"He's just worried about you Olivia, he knows nothing about Sealview and he's been worried sick about what happened there, he has no idea how any of what happened affected you. He's got the right to be concerned." Fin explained gently but he caused tears to spring to Olivia's eyes.

"It's not that. It just feels like he scares anyone I'm with away and I really like this guy Fin and I mean really like him and yes we've only been on one date and he's been away for a few months and the last time I saw him before last night was … was strange but I really like him and I don't want Elliot getting in the way." Olivia explained the best she could.

"Tell him enough to calm his fears but enough that you keep it privet." Fin suggested. "That way it's win win."

"Yeah." Olivia shrugged. "Come on before Elliot sends out a search party and Missing Person's report." She said turning towards the door.

"Olivia." Fin said dropping his hand onto her shoulder making her tense up a little. "Shit sorry."

"It's ok." Olivia said brushing it off. "It happens more when I'm upset."

"I'm sure it does." Fin agreed with a slight nod of his head.

"It really is getting better Fin, the flashbacks are gone." She told him and he nodded gently, he hated the topic of Sealview coming up but she trusted Fin with the information.

"And keep working at it Liv and it will continue to get better." Fin reassured.

"Yeah." Olivia nodded before rushing for the door, she didn't want to get upset about it now, not when things were looking up.

* * *

Olivia had managed to go all day without talking to Elliot about anything but the job. It was a nightmare for Elliot who kept trying to talk to her. They managed to close the case which meant that Olivia could go on her date. She had text Dominic to let him know she would be home and told him to come over at eight pm.

When she got home she was quick to clean the apartment as much as she could, she had stopped for a couple of bottles of wine on the way and made sure the place looked comfortable enough to relax and was really nervous when the buzzer went.

"Hey. Come in." She said into the intercom.

She released the door downstairs and opened the front door so that he could come in straight away.

The shadow in the door was too familiar. She turned around the see Elliot standing there looking around at the dimly lit living room.

"Expecting someone?" He asked as she stood with her wine glass glaring at him.

"You knew I was." She replied. "And he should be here any moment so why are you here?"

"I just came to apologise…"

"Haven't you got a wife and family to go home to?" Olivia snapped, she wasn't in the mood for apologies.

"Oh come on Liv I'm trying to say I'm sorry I shouldn't have gone through your phone."

"No! You shouldn't have you had absolutely no right… Dominic hey." Olivia saw the man knocking on the front door.

"Someone else was coming into the building… sorry am I interrupting something?" He asked as he came into the kitchen.

"No Elliot was just leaving." Olivia said looking at Elliot as if looks could kill.

"Elliot Stabler, her partner." Elliot said offering his hand and Olivia knew that it was going to be in a threatening manner.

"Dominic Pruitt." Dominic said shaking Elliot's hand firmly and showing he wasn't threatened. "Marines?" He said spotting Elliot's tattoo.

"Yeah." Elliot nodded.

"Dominic's a Master Sergeant." Olivia said with a smile and Elliot turned to look at her. "And you can go now Elliot, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Uh sure, nice to meet you Dominic." Elliot said. "And again I'm sorry." He added and Olivia shrugged.

"Just go Elliot." Olivia said firmer and he nodded and walked out looking a little sheepish. "I'm really sorry about that." Olivia said when Dominic passed over a wine bag.

"It's no problem, what was he apologising for?" Dominic asked as she poured a glass of wine each for them.

"He went through my phone when I wouldn't tell him your name." She laughed softly.

"Why wouldn't you give him my name?" Dominic asked looking hurt.

"So he could run a background check then call you and claim he was from the FBI and say that they were watching me and that you were now a person of interest in whatever he was claiming I did to scare you off? Yeah exactly that's why I didn't give him your name." Olivia chuckled when he looked shock. "He likes to think he's being protective." She explained as she passed him a glass of wine.

"Wow." Dominic laughed. "That's uh…"

"Yeah." Olivia nodded. "So take out, what do you fancy?" Olivia asked grabbing the take out menus from the top of the fridge.

"Hmm?" Dominic started leaning over her shoulder to have a look. "Italian?"

"Italian it is." Olivia smiled pulling the Italian menu.

After they'd ordered and the food arrived they sat at the opposite ends of the couch talking.

"So tell me about your partner." Dominic smiled as he played with his pasta.

"We've been together for ten years, he's… he's Elliot." Olivia shrugged.

"He's your best friend?" Dominic asked with a knowing look on his face.

"Yeah." Olivia nodded.

"So he knows about what happened with the PTSD?" Dominic asked and Olivia's face changed and she sighed.

"No he doesn't know anything about that." Olivia replied. "He was off on sick when we were working Jessie's case so he knew nothing about it. I took some personal time after that and Fin covered for me, said I was just tired and overworked."

"How come he doesn't know?" Dominic asked, he didn't know why Olivia was so reluctant to talk about it but he really liked her and he wanted her to trust him.

"Because he told me a long time ago that he needed to know I could do my job without him coming to the rescue… I almost lost him then you know? He's my best friend, the only family I have." Olivia explained with a shrug.

"I don't think he would blame you Olivia, he obviously cares about you even if it is by threatening your dates." He chuckled lightly and reached over to wipe the tear that had slipped down her cheek. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

"I'm not crying." She said with a laugh because it was painfully obvious she was. "It's just… you're so sweet you know that, you know the darkest secret I have yet you're still sat here."

Dominic moved the take out cartons onto the coffee table and then he pulled her gently closer before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest.

"You Olivia, are an amazing woman, when I met you, you were on a crusade to get justice for a person you had never met, you went above and beyond to find out what happened to her, and yeah you got it wrong the first time around but that was not your fault, it was because all the evidence before the DNA result came back said that it was me, but then when you were wrong you admitted that fact and you corrected your mistakes."

Tears slipped down Olivia's cheeks as she sat against Dominic's chest. She was overwhelmed with emotion, the acceptance of the man sat behind her was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. Everything she'd been keeping hidden from her co-workers and friends she didn't have to with Dominic and she knew that. He kissed the top of her head softly and held around her tight, it was his way of letting her know that she could fall and he'd catch her. After about an hour of sitting in complete silence the two slowly fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So the reviewing thing has changed, I hope that doesn't stop anyone from reviewing!**

The next afternoon in the office Olivia was still in a particularly good mood. She went for a coffee run without a complaint and while she was gone Elliot caught sight of a file Olivia had been attached to for the past two days sitting on her desk. He was curious so he went over and picked it up.

Jessica Crews.

He flicked through the file and he saw Fin and Olivia's names under lead Detectives so he checked the date, of course he was off, that's why he didn't remember the case. When he reached towards the back he saw a photograph of a man he was sure he recognised. It wasn't until he saw the name beneath it that he realised who it was.

When Olivia returned he was still sitting at her desk with the file in his hand. She saw what he was looking at from over his shoulder and her stomach dropped.

"Elliot what are you doing?" She asked trying to keep her voice as relaxed as she could.

"When were you planning on telling me that this Master Sergeant was a suspect in one of SVU's cases, a case you happened to be the lead on?" Elliot asked spinning the chair around to look at her like some evil minion would in a film.

"I wasn't." Olivia shrugged reaching over him to put the coffee tray on the desk.

"Of course you weren't, you don't tell me anything anymore." He sighed getting to his feet. "Maybe Cragen would be interested to know that you had a suspect from a case at your apartment last night…"

"Are you threatening me?" She hissed angrily.

Elliot could only shrug in reply because he was threatening her.

"He was a suspect but he was also cleared to Elliot and we caught the guy who did it and he contacted me not vice versa last time I saw him I was apologising to him for thinking he did it and then he left to go back to Iraq." She explained snatching the case file from his hands.

"Why get the case file out Olivia? Want to make sure you got the right person the first time round? Make sure you weren't dating a murderer?" He asked loud enough for Munch and Fin to overhear.

"Oh you are such an ass Elliot Stabler! No, actually I was checking his age not that it has anything to do with you and the guy we caught was caught because of his wife's confession and his DNA, you obviously didn't read the fives!" She hissed angrily as Elliot jumped to his feet defensively.

"You shouldn't be anywhere near him!" Elliot snapped.

"What? Are you jealous or something? I don't need you Elliot, I never have needed you to tell me how to live my life, Dom makes me happy, he has made me smile for the first time in months and it feels great that he wants to spend time with me when he knows things about me that not even you know!" Olivia spat before going to walk off but Elliot grabbed her arm stopping her in her tracks.

"You met him not long after Sealview right?" Elliot asked and Olivia's face instantly paled.

"It was about six months after Sealview." Olivia replied trying to brush it off as nothing.

"Yeah, you took some personal time after this case was closed, it's not in the fives why but I'm sure if I go an ask Cragen he'll know, or will Fin tell me… no I doubt Fin would seeing as he won't tell me what happened in Sealview either… when did you stop trusting me Olivia?" Elliot replied visibly angry and frustrated.

"I do trust you Elliot but the problem is you trusting me." She said her voice shaking.

"Talk to me then Liv, tell me what's going on so I can be there for you." Elliot replied.

"You don't get it!" She yelled. "I don't need you to be there for me Elliot I can take care of myself! It's not the fact you don't trust me because I won't tell you what happened it's you trusting me after I tell you…"

"Olivia." Fin said and Olivia cast her eyes over to him to see him pointing in the direction of the bullpen entrance.

She spun around to see Dominic there with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

"Hey bad time?" He asked walking towards her as a smile grew on her face.

"No we're done here." She said mainly towards Elliot.

Dominic passed her the flowers and she hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"They're beautiful." She smiled putting them on her desk.

"You ok?" He asked rubbing her back gently.

"Yeah, how much of that did you hear?" She asked awkwardly and visibly uncomfortable.

"Enough to know what you were talking about." He told her and she sighed softly. "Hey I got your back." He told her gently making a soft smile appear on her face.

She grabbed her coffee from her desk and grabbed his hand, he followed without question while Elliot, Munch and Fin followed them with their eyes.

"I know that guy." Fin said.

"Dominic Pruitt, accused of murdering Jessie Crews yours and Liv's case." Elliot said picking up the file again.

"Oh yeah Olivia pulled…" He shut his mouth quickly knowing he'd almost spilt something that Fin had promised Elliot would never find out.

"Olivia pulled what?" Elliot asked and Fin just shook his head, if Elliot wanted to know he'd have to find out from Olivia. "Seriously man, my partner's everywhere, she's dating a suspect from a case, she's a mess, she can't concentrate on cases, she always looks like she's anywhere but here."

"Listen man talk to Olivia and I mean talk to her not yell at her then you'll know what's up with her but until then I am saying nothing." Fin replied with a shrug, he couldn't break her confidence.

"Something happened to her in Sealview Fin, something bad and you know what it was but you'd rather help her cover up a secret than help her get help?" Elliot hissed angrily.

"Shut up Stabler, you have no idea what happened so I don't know where you're getting this all high and mighty stuff, Olivia's getting help to deal with it and she's got a man there now by her side who knows what she's going through and is still by her side, her problem is she's scared of losing you if you ever find out what happened to her." Fin snapped, he'd really had enough of listening to Elliot now and he had his own problems about what happened at Sealview, because the only thing he knew was what he saw as everything else Olivia just kept saying 'nothing happened' but even if what had happened was nothing in Olivia's eyes that nothing had traumatised her to the point she'd pulled out a gun and pressed it to the back of a man's head.

* * *

"Sorry about all of that." Olivia said as soon as she and Dominic stepped out onto the roof.

"Hey you're super hot when you're fighting so no complaints here." He joked. "So what's with your partner?"

"I got Jessie's file out to check how old you were and he found it on my desk, he wasn't working when we worked the case so he knew nothing about it." Olivia explained with a shrug. "We really shouldn't be talking let alone… whatever this is." She shrugged.

"I thought people called this dating?" He replied ignoring her statement about them not supposed to be together, he liked her and he wasn't about to risk losing her.

"Are we dating Master Sergeant?" Olivia asked as she crawled her fingers up his t-shirted chest.

"I thought we were." He shrugged. "Unless…"

"No I thought we were too." She smiled.

"So we're dating?"

"We're dating." She laughed before slipping her arms around his waist and snuggling her cheek into his chest.

"Don't you have to get back to work?" He chuckled as he rubbed her back softly.

"Yeah… in a minute." She laughed and he kissed the top of her head.

"Can I see you tonight?" He asked running his hand through her short bob.

"Do you want to see me tonight?" She asked relaxing under his touch.

"Well yeah, that's why I was asking." He chuckled.

"What should we do?" Olivia asked.

"How about you come to my place and we can watch a movie, get some take out and just talk." He suggested.

"Talk?" Olivia asked stiffening up. "About what?"

"Well everything, I want to get to know you Olivia, I want to know more than you're a great cop who was assaulted." He explained and Olivia pulled away from him hesitantly. "Olivia…"

"No it's just…"

"Just what?" He asked stepped closer to her and cupping her face in his hand.

"We all have secrets right? Things about us we'd prefer not to tell anyone?" She said and he nodded gently. "Well I'm not quite sure I'm ready to tell you everything yet."

"Why not? Don't you trust me?" He asked visibly hurt as he dropped his hand from her cheek.

"No Dominic I do." She replied hurriedly as she grabbed his hand back. "I do trust you but that's my problem, I don't trust easily but the fact that you know a little about what happened to me nine months ago it's helped me trust you but there is a lot more to me that you don't know and I am … I guess you could say that I'm scared about how you'll react when you do find out the truth…"

"Olivia, I think you're amazing, that's why I went out of my way to call you when I got back, the whole time I was out there this time I kept thinking about you and wishing I had a way of writing to you or calling you. I leave again in less than four weeks time and when I go I hope to be taking your address and your number so I can call and send you letters and I hope you'll be there to pick up and send a letter back. There's nothing you can say that will scare me away…"

"I'm a product of rape." She burst with it, hearing him say so many things that made her want to hold onto him and never let him go made her want to get the worst part of it over.

"What?" He asked taken aback by her sudden confession.

"I'm… I'm a product of rape, my father raped my mom." Olivia explained shakily and she walked to the edge of the building not wanting to see his reaction.

"You think that defines you?" He asked.

"No." She replied defensively.

"Then what? You think telling me about your conception is going to make me run?" He asked and when Olivia didn't answer he realised that's exactly what she had thought.

He walked to her and slipped his hand over hers where she was holding onto the banister.

"That's actually happened?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yeah." Olivia replied. "It's not something I tell people on the first date but people have been so revolted by it… by me…"

"Olivia." He said turning her chin so she would have to look at me. "Those people are shallow minded and they're the revolting ones. You are beautiful, inside and out and those people didn't deserve the chance to get to know you. Hey I was conceived on my grandmother's couch by my Mom and her teenage crush who completely denied his paternity and even after a DNA test he denied it and denied me but that doesn't make me a dishonourable man just because my father was, your parentage doesn't define you Olivia, don't let it put you down."

She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his broad chest to hide the tears that had slipped down her face. No one ever, not even Elliot had said something that had hit so deep with her before.

"And if you don't want to talk we don't have to, we can just get a movie and some pizza's and have fun. The talking can happen whenever but the fun… well that ends when I go again." He told her gently.

"Can we not talk about you going too?" Olivia asked her voice muffled by the broad chest she was clinging onto.

"Yeah, we can put that off for a couple of weeks." He smiled before kissing her forehead. "But you Detective need to get back to work before they send a search party and arrest me for kidnap." He chuckled.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just a filler I'm really trying to get to the good bit of this story but it's not easy because I'd be missing a huge chunk of time so I'm writing little fillers until I get there!**

The week since Dominic had been home went by far too quick for Olivia's liking. It meant that in three weeks' time she'd be waving him off on a three month tour and she was feeling a bit down about it.

As ever, Elliot was being insufferable and telling her to save herself the heartache and break it off with him, yet all Olivia did was hold onto him more in reply.

Every day he surprised her at work. Whether it was with coffee or flowers and she spent her lunch hour with him which she knew was making Elliot worse, he'd barely seen her on a personal level since she'd been with Dominic every hour she could spare.

Now though, she would be spending her first night with Dominic. She had the day off the next day and Dominic had asked if he could spend the whole night and day with her. Olivia had just smiled and nodded in reply.

They'd planed on going to the movies followed by bowling and ice skating for the day and with it being Olivia's day off and she wasn't on call she was going to turn her phone off and leave it at home, she had every right to and for the first time since she'd been a detective she was going to.

"You ready to go?" Dominic asked as he sensed her walking into the room.

"Yeah." Olivia smiled grabbing her coat from the back of the chair, that's when Dominic turned his attention from the sports news he was watching and saw what Olivia was wearing.

She was dressed in figure hugging skinny jeans and a pair of just below the knee brown flat boots. She wore a just below the elbow sleeved blue sweater which also hugged her figure. Her hair was slightly wavy and her makeup just a little more than she would wear to work.

"Olivia you look…"

"Thanks." She replied before he could say the word he was thinking of. "Ready to go?" She asked.

"Of course." He smiled.

He switched off the TV and Olivia grabbed her purse and her keys and they left together.

* * *

After a movie, a meal and then a walk in the park Olivia and Dominic walked to Olivia's apartment. What neither one of them expected was to find Elliot sitting on the steps of Olivia's apartment block.

"Elliot? What are you doing here?" Olivia asked.

"I've been trying to call you Olivia, all night!" Elliot snapped.

"It's my night and day off, I am not Detective Benson for the next thirty six hours Elliot so I switched my phone off and threw it in my drawer." Olivia snapped. "Not that it's any of your business so what on earth are you doing here?"

"I was worried, that's all. I called to ask you if you wanted to meet for a drink and when your phone went straight through to voicemail I tried to call you over and over again and then I thought I'd come here." Elliot explained.

"Thank you for your concern Elliot but I'm a big girl and I can look after myself, I'm fine." Olivia said. "Better than fine, I'll see you at work ok?" She asked before leading Dominic up the steps of her apartment block.

"See you tomorrow." He mumbled but Olivia didn't hear him.

* * *

"That was awkward." Dominic laughed as soon as they entered Olivia's apartment.

"Right now I do not want to think about Elliot Stabler." She said pushing Dominic up against her door with a bang.

Her lips crashed into his and her hands curled around his as he returned the kiss. She moaned subconsciously into his mouth as he began to push against her guiding her back towards the couch. As soon as her legs hit the arm of the couch she fell back pulling Dominic with her.

His lips fell from hers as they both laughed loudly.

"Oops." Olivia giggled and Dominic just smiled and looked down at her.

As she giggled his expression softened as he reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear and she stopped laughing but had a softness in her eyes.

"Come to bed?" Olivia asked and Dominic nodded and pulled himself up off the couch before helping Olivia follow suit.

He had to admit to himself that he didn't think they would have sex but a make out session was better than anything because he understood that she'd almost been raped and it didn't take a genius to work out that like with war heroes who panicked when a car backfired that Olivia would probably panic if he touched her in a certain manner. He'd been at the wrong end of her gun when she'd banged her head in the past.

Once in Olivia's room she stripped him of his shirt and he slipped down the zip of her dress. Once they were down to just their underwear Olivia climbed into what was obviously 'her' side of the bed and Dominic climbed in the opposite side feeling relieved when Olivia snuggled straight into his side.

He kissed the side of her head and they both relaxed back, letting sleep take them.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Big jump! This chapter is really over the top dramatic but the explanation to why it's over the top dramatic and very out of character is in the next chapter. **

Time flew by for the couple and lying in bed after twenty four hours of being in bed having nothing but great sex once Olivia herself had managed to cross the hurdle thanks to Dominic's care and attention.

"You go tonight." She whispered.

"Yeah." He whispered into her hair, a habit she'd found that he had of snuggling his nose into her hair which in her mind was cute.

"I don't want you to go." She said trying and failing to hide the sadness in her voice.

"I don't want to go but I have to Liv it's my job." Dominic sighed snuggling into her more. "But we talked about it, three months will fly Olivia, I will be in Iraq and you'll be at SVU."

"You could die." She said.

"So could you." He replied with a small chuckle. "Our chances of dying are around the same did you know that?"

"What?" She asked.

"My chances as a Master Sergeant and yours as a Detective, the chances of us being killed are near enough the same." Dominic explained. "So if you think while I'm out at war I'm not going to be worry about you being killed in the way you're going to worry about me then you're wrong."

"Ok." Olivia nodded. "Try not to worry though I'm good at my job."

"So am I." He chuckled lightly.

"I know." Olivia replied sighing softly. "I have to work today. I can't believe Don didn't give me today off."

"Hey he's letting me come hang with you at the office and said he'd try not to send you out on a case, you know that was nice of him." Dominic said softly.

"I know." Olivia said again. "I just wish I could do something with you before I have to stand by that elevator and watch you go again."

"This time though I will call every chance I get, and I will write and you will write, every day, ok? I want a letter every day about what you're doing even if it does take me a week to get the first letter."

"And you'll write when you can, but you'll write one on the plane so it gets to me in a week in case it's a while before I can hear from you again." Olivia smiled. "And I'll send you boxes of goodies."

"You will."

"You should tell me what you like though." Olivia stated.

"Olivia, I have over this past month told you everything that you could possibly know about me, you'll know what to send when the time comes." He chuckled.

"But what if I forget?"

"I'll be offended." He laughed and nudged her playfully.

"I need to get ready for work." She sighed pushing herself up out of bed.

* * *

Later that morning Olivia sat at her desk pretending to do paperwork while Dominic sat in the seat beside her desk playing with everything he could get his hands on and teasing her making her laugh.

Elliot and the rest of the gang had never seen Olivia smile so much before, and in all honesty her smile throughout the morning lit up the entire squad room.

Even Don and George had noticed it. George, who Don had called in to watch Olivia for the next couple of days was psychoanalysing each movement that she made and the only conclusion that he could come up with so far was that she was happy.

When Olivia's phone rang Dominic jumped to answer it before she got the chance.

"Special Victims Unit Detective Benson's desk." He said while Olivia glared at him but stifled a laugh at the same time. "Yes Sir, I'll pass that message along sir. Goodbye."

"Well?" She asked as he returned the phone to her desk.

"That was a Mr John Adcock and he says thank you for the therapist recommendation for his daughter, she's already improving greatly." He said. "You really do make a difference in people's lives."

"I try." She replied with a smile.

"You know when you were…"

"Yeah." Olivia nodded knowing what he meant.

"Did it make you more or less determined to help the victims?" He asked gently.

"More determined less effective." Olivia replied. "I wanted to do more and be there for them more but my head was everywhere, I could barely focus but now… thanks to you." She leaned forward and captured his lips softly and he smiled into the kiss.

"Liv why don't you take lunch now?" Cragen called coming out of the office.

"Thanks, I'll be on the phone if you need me." She smiled getting to her feet at once.

It was different, over the past month Olivia had taken regular lunch breaks unless a case got in her way which had annoyed Elliot. He'd missed his best friend and in all honesty he couldn't wait for Dominic to go so he could have some of Olivia's time again.

* * *

Later that afternoon as the minutes slipped by the apprehension that was echoing from Olivia darkened the squad room. Her smile wasn't as bright and didn't quite reach her eyes. She was fidgety and talkative but more in a bumbling mess manner and nervous jittery manner than excited chatter.

"Olivia." Dominic sighed grabbing her hands before she began to sort out her pens in colour order for the fourth time.

"I'm sorry." Olivia sighed dropping her forehead to her shoulder when he moved to be sat right opposite her.

"I know you're scared." He whispered as he ran his hands through her hair gently with one hand while one arm held around her unaware or not caring that everyone was watching them carefully.

"I'm terrified that today's the last day I'll ever see you." She whispered.

"I feel the same Olivia, exactly the same, that I'll go and come back in a box or I'll go and come back and you'll be in a pine box." He replied. "It's terrifying but it's our jobs and I know, for us this is quite new and it's terrifying but we're going to get through it."

Olivia looked at the clock and realised if he didn't leave soon he'd be late.

"Dom…"

"I know." He replied with a nod. "Walk me to the elevator?"

"Of course." Olivia replied getting to her feet and taking his hand.

Everyone watched the usually happy and peppy couple walk out hand in hand.

At the elevator Dominic pulled her into his arms.

"In twelve weeks, you're going to be in Brooklyn at the military airport, you're going to meet me off my plane and I'm going to be home for four whole weeks again and I'm spending every minute I can with you. When you miss me, I want you to think to that moment, in twelve weeks where you're going to be stood nervously and excitedly at that airport with the other spouses and you're going to see me coming off that plane and you're going to be able to run to me and meet me."

"Ok." She whispered tears dripping down her face.

"Olivia…" He reached into his pocket. "This isn't an engagement ring so don't panic. But at this spot, four months ago, when I was leaving for a three month tour you told me your biggest secret, you didn't know me yet you trusted me…"

"I held a gun to your head you deserved an explanation." She replied a smile breaking through her tears.

He tilted her head up by slipping a finger under her chin and she sniffed and looked into his eyes.

"You stood there and you told me your biggest secret and I could see the pain you were going through reflected in those beautiful brown eyes and I knew Olivia, I knew that when I got back I was going to find you again. I was going to make sure you would talk to me and let me into your life and get to know the real you, not just the victim or the cop but the real you and in these three months I know you. This ring is a promise, from me to you, that in three months' time I _will_ walk off that plane and I _will_ hold you in my arms again and I _will _kiss you and be there for you and _love_ you."

"Oh Dom…" She whispered through her pouring tears.

"And in return…" He said through his own tears. "I want you to promise that you'll be there at that airport when I come back, and that you'll run to meet me off the plane and you will hold me in your arms and kiss me… and love me."

"Oh God." She whispered through her tears.

"I know it's a lot to ask you to promise…" He said his tears just falling down his face.

"No…" She replied shaking her head. "It's not, of course I promise." She replied throwing her arms around him. "I promise to meet you off that plane, to run to meet you, to hold you in my arms, to kiss you and to love you."

He pulled away from the embrace and kissed her lips the taste of her tears resting on his lips. Slowly he took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her ring finger.

"I love you." He whispered as the lift doors opened.

She let go and blinked back her tears holding the hand which wore her ring to her heart.

"I love you too." She said clearly just as the doors slipped shut.

She didn't see Elliot until he caught her when her knees buckled beneath her. She hadn't expected it to be this hard, she hadn't expected it to be this painful.

"Oh my God." She managed to gasp through the anxiety attack she was having.

"You need to breath Liv, come on Liv breath…"

"I can't!" She gasped and Elliot could see her losing consciousness any minute.

"I need a little help over here!" He yelled just as Olivia went completely limp.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Big jump! This chapter is really over the top dramatic but the explanation to why it's over the top dramatic and very out of character is in the next chapter. **

Don knelt beside the couch Olivia was lying on. When she would come round and she would be able to have a coffee before she had to sit down with Huang, they hadn't expected this, every reaction they had predicted Olivia having a panic attack and collapsing was not one of the things they had predicted.

A moan passed her lips and though she was unconscious there was a frown fixed on her brow and the tears glistening on her cheeks were just a sign how much she'd been crying.

"Still out?" George asked when he walked into the office.

"Yeah." Don nodded stroking the top of her head.

"Her mind's basically protecting itself from the pain, it might take a couple of hours but she'll come round." George said handing the older man a coffee.

"I don't get it I've ever seen Olivia so sad, she wasn't that sad when her Mom died, why is she because her boyfriend of one month is going to Iraq?" He asked the confusion evident on his face.

"Something bigger than that happened Don." George said. "He saved her, she changed so much in the last month, it was subtle and happened day by day over the month but you look at the Olivia that was in here a month ago, before this man walked into her life and the Olivia that was hanging around here a couple of days ago, she looked the same on the outside but she wasn't thinking the same."

"I never thought Olivia would ever be dependent on a man." Don chuckled lightly.

"She isn't dependent on him, not in the way that you think she is. Think of it as grieving, and it's a process but the process is going to be interrupted by letters and random phone calls."

"So what does that mean for me?" Olivia mumbled brining the attention of both men to her.

"Olivia?" Don asked.

"Yeah." She replied her eyes flickering open and then close. "Where am I?" She asked dropping her hand to the bridge of her nose.

"My office on the couch, you had a panic attack and you passed out." Don said his hand stroking through her hair again.

A moan passed Olivia's lips as she dropped her hands to her side and pushed herself up a bit.

"I was hoping all of this was a nightmare." She said once she was sat up and could drop her head into her hands.

"Here drink this." George said passing her a small carton of orange juice. "It helps." He said when she glared at him.

"No what helps is a stiff drink." She replied with a grim look. "I'm sorry you must think I'm so pathetic, I'm a bumbling mess over a man."

"No I don't think your pathetic Olivia I think you're broken hearted." George smiled softly.

"I need… I need to go…"Olivia got to her feet.

"No Liv you need to talk about this you need to deal with it." George replied.

"That's… That's what I'm going to do but just not here not with you." She explained.

"Then with who Liv?"

"The shrink I've been seeing for the past eight months…"

"You've been seeing someone on the side?" George asked.

"I had to… I needed to… I… I have to go now…"

"Ok let me drive you." George said getting to her feet.

"Ok." Olivia nodded. "Ok I just need to go… now…need to…"

"Ok I'll drive you now." George said quietly taking her hand, he could see how worked up she was.

* * *

The whole drive over to the shrink's office Olivia played with ring on her hand that caught George's attention. Olivia had silent tears falling down her cheeks the whole way. When they pulled up outside the shrink's office Olivia went to dive out of the car but George clicked the lock on the door.

"George I need… I need to go… I need to…"

"Calm down Olivia and breath ok." George said grabbing onto her hand and Olivia took a couple of short breaths Lamaze style trying to calm her down. "This shrink, she's an expert in RTS right?"

"Right." Olivia said her tear filled eyes looking out the windscreen.

"Sealview…"

"George not now!" She pleaded.

"Ok! Ok… I just want you to know if she can't see her for whatever reason you call me, ok? You call me and I'll help you…"

"George!" She yelled the tears falling from her face.

"Ok, go, you want me to wait?"

"No I'll get a cab." She replied shaking her head.

"Ok." George nodded and he unlocked the door so Olivia could leave.

She didn't looked back as she ran from the car and dove into the building. Her mind wasn't even working when she ran up the stairs.

Her fist hammered at the door of the office and when the door opened Margot saw a tearful and desperate Olivia standing there.

"Olivia?"

"I … I …"

"Ok come in, come on." Margot said wrapping an arm around her patient's shoulders and guiding her to the couch, kicking the door shut behind her.

"I'm so… sorry." She hiccupped as the tears came falling down her cheeks.

"It's alright Olivia, it's ok." Margot told her gently.

She made the Detective a cup of water and knelt down in front of her while she took a small sip.

"I'm sorry." Olivia whispered again.

"You're ok." Margot replied rubbing Olivia's bicep.

As she began to calm down her cell phone rang and she quickly grasped at it and a smile spread on her face when she saw the name.

"Sorry." She said knocking the call button but Margot had seen the light go on in her eyes. "Hey baby." She said her voice strained.

_Hey Olivia, are you ok?_

"I'm ok." She replied trying to wipe the tears from her cheeks just as if he could see her.

_I found your letter. _

"You did? You weren't supposed to find that till you got out there." She chuckled and sniffed.

_I guessed that when I read it, but I miss you already baby._

"I miss you too." She said her voice breaking again.

_Take care of yourself Olivia, I have to go, I love you so much._

"I love you too, oh God…"

_I love you._

"I love you." She replied before hanging up and allowing the tears to fall down her face.

Margot passed her a box of a tissues and Olivia took one as she dropped her head and sobbed.

"Take deep breaths Olivia, deep breaths." Margot said softly as she ran her hand through the front of Olivia's hair.

"I can't, I can't do it, I can't…" She whispered over and over again and Margot knew it would be hopeless to try and get any sense out of her before she calmed down.

It took twenty minutes before Olivia's breathing normalised some. Margot sat in her arm chair and Olivia was staring at a section of the floor.

"You wanna tell me what brought you here today?"

Olivia jumped at the sound of her voice and her eyes flicked up to meet Margot's.

"You've not been here for nearly a month Olivia, I tried calling, I left you messages, why now? Why today?" Margot asked.

"I…" Olivia started. "You know when I worked Jessie's case?" Olivia asked and Margot nodded. "Well I told you about when I pulled… I pulled my gun against a Marine's head and took the safety off because I had a flashback."

"I remember." Margot replied, she remembered exactly how hard it had been to help Olivia get over it.

"Well the Marine's name is Dominic Pruitt." Olivia said. "I can say it now that it isn't an open case."

"Ok." She nodded.

"I did like you told me to back then, I went to see him, I apologised and I told him… I couldn't even tell my partner and I found telling him was easy, telling Dominic was easy." She said her eyes slipping close. "I thought… I really thought that I found it so easy because you'd prepared me, given me the skill that I needed to open up to him but he called… Margot he called me a month ago and he asked me out on a date."

Margot managed to hide the shock from her face but it didn't mean she didn't feel it.

"He asked me out on a date when he arrived back and I … I accepted… I don't know why, I really don't know what I was thinking when I accepted that date but I did." Olivia said.

"And?"

"And I had such an amazing night even if it was cut short because my partner called me to work I still, I still had an amazing time and before I went he asked me for a do-over, he asked me to do it again and I invited him back to my apartment the next night and we ate Italian food and we drank wine and we talked… I opened up to him… I told him things I couldn't talk about and I cried and he … he held me and I cried and we slept."

"Ok." Margot nodded scribbling down her questions as she went along knowing by Olivia's expression that she had a lot more to say.

"We saw each other every day for a month, he would come to the office and drop off coffee or flowers if he knew I was working late and after two weeks we were at my apartment and we were in bed and we tried to have sex and… and I failed Margot I couldn't do it and I thought that was it, the relationship was over but… but it wasn't … two nights later we were in the same situation and he kept saying that we shouldn't rush it that he would wait for me but I kept telling him I wanted to, with him, I wanted it to happen with him and that night it did… he really took care of me, was weary and I don't think it was great sex in the sense of the act but what the act meant then… then it was great."

Margot managed a small smile and Olivia took another deep breath.

"Yesterday, I was in bed with him, for twenty four hours we barely left the bed only to order food and to use the bathroom and it was great, the act itself it was great sex, every time in that twenty four hours it was great sex and …" Olivia laughed through her tears. "…and today…" The tears pooled in her eyes again. "Today he's gone."

"Gone?"

"To Iraq." Olivia replied. "And… and I'm scared that…"

"That the progress you've made in the last month won't stand because he's gone?"

"That and… and that … he's in Iraq!" She struggled to breathe again.

"Calm down Olivia, take deep breaths." Margot said.

"I've seen him every day for a month and he made me make this god damned promise to him and he made a promise to me and…"

"Olivia." Margot said and Olivia looked up at her. "What was the promise?"

"He promised me that he would walk off that plane and he would run to meet me and that he would hold me and kiss me and love me, he asked me to promise him that I would be there, to meet him off that plane, that I would hold him, kiss him and love him." Olivia replied. "I promised."

"Are you scared you won't keep that promise?" Margot asked.

"No." Olivia replied. "I would do anything I could to make sure I'm stood in that airport to meet him off that plane… as long as he's on it."

"You're worried he will only come back in a pine box." Margot said.

"Yeah." Olivia nodded. "He is the greatest man I have ever known, he makes me so happy, I… I am so in love with him it's unreal and … and I'm terrified that I'm going to lose him."


	7. Chapter 7

Olivia was benched and pissed. It had been three days since Dominic had departed and she was an insufferable bitch and no one wanted to be around her particularly but everyone rallied around her anyway because they knew she was suffering.

Not a single word had Olivia heard from Dominic and as she had promised when they had discussed his departure, she had written a letter and sent it every day and she knew in less than a week he would get the first one.

Arriving at work that morning Olivia was still severely depressed. She sat at her desk and sighed not even bothering to take off her coat. Elliot, Munch and Fin all glanced at her then at each other each knowing how the other was feeling except for Olivia, none of them could possibly even begin to imagine what she was going through.

When the post arrived Olivia just glanced over at the small pile placed on her desk and then turned back to her computer. Suddenly her head whipped back to the pile of letters and office memo and she picked up the top most letter and gazed at the scrawny handwritten address.

"Oh my God." She whispered a small smile sparkling in her eyes.

Elliot was the only one who heard anything but when she pushed her chair back and walked away every one noticed.

"What's wrong with baby girl?" Fin asked turning to look at Elliot.

"What other than her boyfriend being in Iraq?" Elliot replied sarcastically. "I don't know, but I'll go find out."

* * *

Olivia jumped into her car and sped off knowing that no one had been directly behind her and that if anyone was searching for her they would check the bathrooms and the roof before they'd realise that she had left the precinct and by then she would have pulled up where she wanted to be and would have turned off her phone to have some privacy.

It was madness, that she had recognised his handwriting but the thing that scared her most was that he wouldn't have sent this particular letter from Iraq, it wasn't airmail that she had been sending him and that he would send from overseas.

Once at her destination she parked the car and took a deep breath. It was cold outside, just the beginning of winter and Olivia didn't need to be out in the freezing cold.

She focused on the brown envelope and read her name over and over again. There was no chance in hell it was from anyone other than Dominic and with that thought ringing in her ears she finally and carefully peeled the envelope open.

_My Darling Olivia, _

_It should have been about three days before this arrived at your desk, I made some arrangements so you wouldn't have to wait too long before getting a letter from me. Apparently, it gets easier as the time passes, you know it's easier to deal with the letters being so infrequent but I wouldn't know. _

_I hope you're doing well, that you're managing, that you're not hurting as much as I suspect you are. I'm going to be just fine Olivia, and when I come home you'll see that for yourself but I also want to come home to see you the way I saw you last, the happy and strong woman I know and love so much. _

_I will think about you, every minute, of every hour, of every day and I will miss you so much and the next three months without you by my side is going to be tough, but we're strong and when we see each other again it will be like falling in love all over again. _

_I love you Olivia, so much, more than I thought was possible. _

_All my love_

_Dom XX_

Olivia swiped at the tears that spilled down her cheeks angrily, it wasn't that she was angry with Dom, it was that she was angry at herself for letting herself fall in love with someone who would constantly break her heart. The only silver lining in the whole debacle was the fact that every time he would come home to her he would fix that broken heart and he would be the only one able to fix it.

After she'd had a good cry and managed to wipe her tears some she drove across town to Margot's office knowing that the woman would be more than happy to see her if she didn't already have an appointment.

Olivia walked up the stairs to the office. She knocked calmly on the door and Margot didn't hesitate in answering which meant she was alone.

"Olivia. Hi." Margot smiled softly.

"Hi." Olivia replied awkwardly and Margot opened the door wider, inviting the detective inside without words.

"So how are you?" Margot asked as soon as Olivia had sat down.

"Heart broken." Olivia replied with a roll of her eyes. "It sounds so cliché but I actually think my heart is breaking."

"Do you feel a physical manifestation of the mental pain inside your chest?" Margot asked and Olivia chuckled weakly.

"No of course not." She said through her laughter. "It's just I've never felt pain like this before, its agonising.

"What brought you to see me today?" Margot asked knowing there would be a specific reason Olivia had dropped by.

"A letter." Olivia replied closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "He sent me a letter before he left and made sure it would arrive after he'd gone."

"Did you read it?" Margot asked and Olivia just nodded. "Can I ask what it says?" Margot pushed and Olivia shrugged her shoulders.

"He just said that he was hurting just as much as I am and that he misses me and loves me in so many words." Olivia explained.

"Tell me how the letter made you feel." Margot continued and Olivia thought for a moment.

"I fell pissed." Olivia spat. "I'm so angry, I'm furious!"

"You're angry with Dominic?" Margot asked and Olivia shook her head as fresh tears pooled her eyes.

"No, I'm angry… I'm angry with me." Olivia explained the anger evident in her face.

"Why are you angry with yourself?" Margot asked needing more details before she could even begin to help or advise Olivia.

"Because!" Olivia yelled. "Because I screwed up! I got involved, I fell in love and I became dependant on someone…"

"You let someone in Olivia, that's a good thing not a bad thing."

"Is it? Because it doesn't feel good! It hurts!" Olivia yelled the tears burning down her cheeks with a mix of sadness and frustration.

"I'm sure it does." Margot nodded. "Where's the letter now?"

"Uh…" Olivia felt awkward all of a sudden.

"Olivia?" Margot pushed and Olivia reached her hand under her shirt and Margot watched as she fumbled for a moment before the letter reappeared. "You kept it in your bra?"

"I… you're going to think I'm crazy." Olivia sighed rubbing her forehead with the hand not holding tight to the letter in her hand.

"I'm not going to think that, tell me why you kept the letter inside your bra." Margot smiled reassuringly.

"Because I wanted to keep it close… close to my heart." Olivia replied a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Olivia there's nothing wrong with that, I actually think it's cute, it doesn't make you crazy." Margot smiled warmly and Olivia managed a weak smile back.

"I knew it would hurt." Olivia started and Margot sat back to listen. "I knew that him leaving was going to hurt some but… I really didn't think it would hurt this bad. The shock of him leaving the other day, even though I knew it was coming when it happened it was just a shock to the system he'd been there every day for four whole weeks and then suddenly he was gone but now, now I'm so lost and I feel so alone and I'm angry at everyone and everything and even though I know they're not to blame I am taking out all of my frustration and anger out on those who are trying to be supportive…"

"I noticed." Margot replied with a cheeky smile which caused Olivia to crack a grin.

"I need to stop…" Olivia started but she couldn't finish the sentence and dropped her gaze to the floor.

"Need to stop what Olivia?" Margot asked. "Stop loving him?"

Olivia's eyes flicked to meet the shrink's and she had her answer without a single word passing the Detective's lips.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you for all your reviews, as always I read them all and just wish I had the time to send a reply to all of you!**

Two weeks exactly to the day that Dominic had departed. Olivia was obviously in turmoil, anyone who knew her could see it but for those who didn't she was normal, or as normal as a sex crimes detective in New York City could be.

She was off the desk now, Cragen had her evaluated by Huang and he cleared her to work just under a week ago. It couldn't have been more evident that being off the desk was doing her some good, it was giving her something else to focus on other than the fact her boyfriend was out in Iraq.

Elliot and Olivia had just been called out to a crime scene. A woman had been raped in her own bed and had managed to call the police, she was refusing a rape kit and Olivia had been spending the past half hour trying to convince the woman to go.

"It can help us find the guy Tabitha, it could be vital in making sure we get him and help us make him pay for what he did." Olivia told her desperately trying to convince the thirty one year old victim.

"I can't." Tabitha replied before inhaling deeply on the cigarette in her hand. "I know Rape Kits, I'm a gynaecologist, I've performed hundreds of the things and I am not going to subject myself to further trauma, the rape itself was traumatic enough and I've heard women say that the rape kit is as traumatising if not worse than the rape itself, it's like being violated all over again Detective."

"Tabitha." Olivia sighed but she was cut off from what she was about to say by her cell phone ringing. "Sorry… Benson… Dominic!" She looked up at Elliot who had been silently stood beside her.

"Go." He told her and Olivia smiled and hurried off. "Sorry about that."

"No worries, whoever that was… he made her eyes light up." Tabitha said before taking another deep inhale of her cigarette.

"Yeah."

"Everyone needs someone like that in their lives, I mean when she first came in here she looked so sad… So can I be rude and asked who that was on the phone, she said Dominic is he her boyfriend or something?"

"Yeah, he's currently out in Iraq, that's the first time she's heard off him since he left." Elliot explained knowing that Tabitha was trying to distract herself from the trauma she'd endured.

"My husband's out in Iraq." Tabitha smiled and her own eyes lit up at the thought of him. "It's hard…"

"Yeah, they've not been together long but she's taken him leaving really hard." Elliot smiled trying to keep the victim talking knowing how easy it was for them to withdraw and give the cops nothing.

"So what is he Military?" Tabitha asked.

"Marine." Elliot said the respect and authority in his voice a giveaway that he had been there himself once.

"Right, Mark is Military, he's been gone five months now, he called last night you know, first time in three weeks, how long has your partners man been gone?"

"Two weeks I think it's been but like I said she's taking it hard." Elliot said guessing for someone like Tabitha Olivia must have seemed weak.

"First few weeks are the hardest, when they've been around for a while and suddenly they're gone and you feel so lost and alone but it gets easier, the pain, it never goes away, you always feel a little lonely but the feeling of being lost goes, it isn't as hard." Tabitha said and Elliot listened intently. "I guess she's been a bit… everywhere since he's been gone?"

"Yeah she has." Elliot nodded.

"She'll build her life back up you know? Don't worry about her too much because she'll want some space, she'll push everyone away…"

"I noticed." Elliot smiled feeling very grateful to the victim who seemed to be helping him more than he was helping her.

* * *

Olivia was still on the phone with Dominic an hour later when Tabitha withdrew the charges not wanting to go through the trauma of a trial and a rape kit and Olivia had offered to come off the phone to try and talk her into it but Elliot had said no.

He drove back to the precinct with Olivia still on the phone and he could smile listening to her laughing and talking with the man she openly admitted she loved.

"…I'm telling you… no Dom… Ok… no of course I understand… I'm glad and yes… I promised didn't I? Ok… I love you… ok… yes… I miss you too I love you… bye baby…" She hung up the phone and it took a moment for the tears to come.

Elliot reached an arm over and gently and rubbed her back. She cried quietly, not wanting to make too much of a fuss even though her heart had been rebuilt and broken all over again in the matter of ninety minutes.

"How is he?" Elliot asked when her sobbing had subsided to just random sniffs.

"He sounded good, he said he was good and he sounded good." She said with a smile. "He said he got my first letter this morning, apologised that he hadn't been able to call and just filled me in on what he had been doing such as he'd been on some exercise thing on the front line so that's why he wasn't able to call… he's at war El… he's really at war and I can't… I can't…" She began to cry again and Elliot really felt for her, he'd been a marine, he couldn't imagine what Kathy had gone through when he'd been away, she'd been pregnant and a newly wed while he had been out in a war without her, back then letters and phone calls had to be earned as a privilege so Kathy had gone months without hearing a word from her husband and the father of their child.

* * *

Later that evening Elliot arrived home after taking Olivia for a drink. Kathy was sat in the living room watching TV and he walked straight up to her and surprised her with a deep kiss.

"What was that for?" She asked when he sat on the couch beside her and wrapped his arms tight around her slim body.

"I can't come home and kiss my wife?" He asked blinking his blue orbs up at her.

"Not like that without an explanation you can't." She teased. "Did something happen at work today?"

"Not really at work … technically it was but… it was Olivia." He sighed.

"Is she alright? Is she hurt?" Kathy asked the panic evident in her face, the woman was like family.

"She's fine, or physically fine anyway, she … you know I told you about her boyfriend?"

"The marine?" Kathy asked. "Yeah he's in Iraq right?"

"Yeah." Elliot nodded. "He called today for the first time since he's been out there and we were with a victim at the time and once she said his name I told him to go right, so anyway I was talking with the victim who told me her husband was in the military and between talking to her and talking to Olivia I realised how hard it must have been for you."

"What do you mean?" Kathy asked as she ran her hands through his short hair.

"You were pregnant with Maureen, we were just married and I was out at war with limited communications, I've seen what that's doing to Liv, having Dominic out at war where she doesn't know how to contact him and she doesn't know when she'll next hear from him or if she'll ever see him again and it is killing her, I mean she's broken Kath and I couldn't help …"

"Shh El." Kathy whispered hearing him becoming worked up. "It was a long time ago and you came home to me."

"I know but…"

"No buts, that pain is long gone, it hurt when you were gone and I was constantly scared, the only difference with you being in the police force is I can pick up the phone and call you but there is still the chance when you kiss me goodbye before work it would be the last time you kiss me goodbye, but I don't hurt because of it anymore, Olivia will get used to the pain, just like I did and she's stronger than I ever was."

"You're right, I just thought I should apologise for leaving you like that Kath…"

"No El, you don't get to apologise, if you hadn't of gone to the Marines we'd not have been able to buy our first house together and give Maureen and eventually Kathleen the life they got, the twins to in some ways. You did what you had to do for our family and I can't and won't blame you for that." She smiled.

"I love you Kathy you know that right?" He asked looking up at her.

"Of course I do Elliot, and I love you too." She smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

**Just a short one, till the interesting bits come up!**

The next morning at her desk Olivia was anxiously waiting for her letter. Dominic had told her that it should arrive but not to be disappointed if it didn't, air mail wasn't the most reliable way of sending letters overseas it was why he was desperately hoping to be able to contact her by phone more often than not.

At half ten everyone could see that Olivia was anxious. She was supposed to be doing paperwork or working on a cold case but she was sat staring into space and every few seconds swinging her chair around to check the entrance of the bullpen.

At five to eleven Olivia turned her chair to see their usual post-delivery arriving she jumped to her feet and knowing what was going on in her life Joseph Edwards handed her post to her first. Quickly she scanned through the items till she found the blue envelope also known as a bluey. A smile spread on her face and she ran up to the lounge taking two steps at a time not realising that all eyes in the bullpen was following her.

"What was that?" Fin asked in surprise.

"Olivia got her letter from Dominic." Elliot said having recognised the blue envelope.

"When's he home?" Fin asked.

"September twenty eight, I only know because Olivia's already booked it off and is counting down the days." Elliot chuckled, he had never seen Olivia behave like this before, truth was not even Olivia had seen herself behave in this manner before.

"Good, it feels like Liv's been taken over by some intergalactic…"

"Shut up!" Fin yelled at Munch while throwing a paper ball at the Sergeant's head.

"I'm just saying…"

"Shut up Munch." Elliot chuckled. "Liv's in love, leave her be, she's finding it tough enough not having Dominic around and not being able to pick up the phone and call him whenever she wants."

Upstairs Olivia was reading her letter for the third time.

_Dear Olivia, _

_Hey baby, I hope you're well. Everything here is hot, the weather is hot, I'm sure I've lots ten pounds already just in sweat! I'm going to have a great tan coming back though, I'll make sure I have some time to take my top off and have a game of soccer with the lads so I don't have any embarrassing tan lines. _

_I'm going to be really busy out here, I know that for a fact. I'm off base for the first two weeks which means you won't have heard from me but I'll deliver this before I leave camp and call as soon as I arrive back and have been de-briefed. _

_I miss you like crazy! Even though for me writing this letter it's barely been twenty four hours since I last saw you. As soon as I stepped into that elevator I was missing you, I had this indescribable pain in my chest. I'm sure it was heartache. _

_Anyway baby not much to report seeing as I've not long been gone. _

_I love you always_

_Dom Xxx_

She wiped away the tears from her eyes even though she wasn't really upset much, she was happy to hear him sounding happy, he had only been gone twenty four hours when he wrote this letter, he was still fresh off the plane which meant he hadn't began suffering the effects of the war when he wrote it, she just hoped he continued to sound as joyful in his letters.

Little did she know that across the world in a camp in Iraq Dominic had just received his first letter from Olivia. It was late at night there and he was on his cot with the curtain pulled shut for privacy. He gently opened the blue envelope and relaxed back against his pillow to read.

_Dear Dominic, _

_Hey, well you've been gone just under twenty hours now and I am missing you like crazy, I hope you don't think I'm insane but seriously I didn't think I would miss you this much. It hurts, fucking hurts like being stabbed in the heart or something and you know me well enough to know I'm not a dramatic person. _

_Well I would bore you with the details of the past twenty hours but really it's depressing and I'd much rather make you smile so here goes, everyone at SVU thinks I've lost it, the plot that is, they really think I've gone completely insane but the only thing I've lost is you, my heart is I guess mourning but I know in three months you will be back or more precisely eighty nine days and counting, that's sad I know._

_So weather here is good, I love New York in the summer, it's always so … so New York, I'm not really a fan of the cold though so I guess that has a lot to do with why I like the summer, but in saying that I only like the summer through June and July once August hits I pray for some rain and cloud!_

_Well that's all I have to say for now, until tomorrow. _

_All my love baby I miss you_

_Olivia xxx_

He smiled and read through the letter again. He'd heard her crying when the lift door had closed but he had to ignore it, as hard and as painful as it had been he had to pretend he couldn't hear it and so he guessed that she wasn't going to let him know how bad things actually were for her, he was glad her letter was fun filled, it had been nice to have her rambling as if she was trying to fill the little space she had to write and it made him all the more excited to get the second letter.

* * *

"Ok?" Elliot asked as Olivia came back down the stairs and went to her desk.

"Yeah." She smiled.

"How is he?" Elliot asked in a friendly manner.

"He's good, says it's hot and he's guessing he lost ten pounds in the first twenty four hours because of the heat and he's going to try and play soccer without his shirt so he can get a good tan so remind me to remind him of sunscreen." She chuckled and Elliot smiled, since she'd spoken with him on the phone and now had a letter she seemed to be taking having Dominic out at war much more in her stride, probably because she knew he was going to be in the camp for a couple of weeks.

"Sunscreen, gotch." He smiled and she grinned happily and turned back to her computer to get on with her paperwork after pinning her letter up on her computer with some tack.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry it's been a while, I have some personal things to attend to over the coming weeks so I will be uploading quite sporadically in comparison to my usual daily uploads!**

One month soon turned into two which turned into three. There was less than a week before Dominic returned to New York and Olivia couldn't even believe how fast the time had gone once she'd gotten used to his absence.

"Three days." Olivia said marking another slot on her calendar, she was about to go home after a long thirty six hours in the office chasing a child sex offender and kidnapper.

"Gosh only three days?" Elliot asked in surprise as he picked up Olivia's jacket.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see him." Olivia smiled reaching for the photo on her desk. "It feels like years have gone by even though the three months have gone by so fast in other ways."

"You love him don't you?" Elliot asked, he'd not bothered to ask her before, it was too obvious but he wanted to hear her admit it out loud.

"More than you could possibly know." She smiled sadly before putting the picture down.

"Will you hear from him again before he comes back?" Elliot asked as Olivia shrugged into her jacket.

"No. He called on Monday, said he would try but the chances were if I didn't hear from him by Wednesday then I wouldn't hear from him again till he got back." Olivia explained. "I hate not hearing from him for so long, I got a letter yesterday but that was sent nearly two weeks ago, I can't wait for him to get me set up on the ebluey website so we can send letters within days and I'm treating myself to a laptop so I can skype him every now and again, at least then I'll get to see him."

"You deserve that." Elliot smiled cheekily. "I mean to see him even though he's out there."

"Thanks." She chuckled.

"So what are your plans for the next three days?" Elliot asked knowing Olivia had been planning some things before he arrived home.

"I'm getting my hair done at lunch tomorrow, just my roots and a trim and then my nails done on Friday and then Saturday morning I'll clean the apartment ready." She grinned.

"What time is he touching down on Saturday?" Elliot asked casually.

"Three, could you do me a favour?" Olivia asked her hands fumbling with her keys nervously.

"Sure Liv." Elliot smiled, he would do anything she asked within reason.

"Could you come over Saturday morning and stay for lunch? I mean the day is gonna drag and I am going to need something to stop me just sitting on edge…"

"Consider it done Olivia, I'll be around at ten ok?" Elliot smiled.

"Thanks El." She grinned.

* * *

Saturday morning arrived quickly and Olivia let Elliot into the now spotless apartment.

"Jesus Liv did you disinfect this place?" Elliot asked the strong smell of disinfectant, bleach and antibacterial spray hitting his nostrils.

"Yeah hence why the windows are all open, I don't want us getting high off the fumes." She chuckled lightly.

"Well I bought us some breakfast curtsey of Kathy, she says hi by the way and good luck, have fun and behave."

"Oh Kathy." Olivia chuckled as Elliot walked into the kitchen with a brown paper back containing two fresh large blueberry muffins. "I hope she doesn't mind that I stole you for the morning."

"No, Liv she understands more than anyone what you're going through right now." He said as he placed the coffee on for them. "When I was in the marines we were newlyweds and had a baby on the way, she was still a kid… we both were, so she understands the tension, the excitement, the nerves, the whole damn lot of it."

"She's a good woman." Olivia smiled.

"Yeah. Any time you need anything Olivia, advice or anything and you don't feel like you can come to me then you can go to her, she loves you too." He told her and she smiled happily.

"I know, you, Kathy and the kids are my family, I couldn't ask for a better family." She said before hugging him tight.

Elliot hugged her back and rested his cheek on her head, he could sense how she was feeling and could understand that she was in need of some form of physical attention from a loved one as reassurance to everything it was that was going through her mind.

"You wanna talk about it?" Elliot asked.

"No." Olivia replied without moving from the death vice grip she had on Elliot.

He gently stroked his hand up and down her back in a comforting manner wondering what it was going on in Olivia's head that had her feeling so vulnerable right now, Olivia wasn't one for hugging, she hugged victims when they hugged her first, she hugged Cragen every now and again if they'd had some form of personal conversation and every once in a while she needed a hug from her best friend but other than that she wasn't one of those touchy-feely persons who did a lot of hugging.

"It might make you feel better." He told her and he felt her sigh softly beneath his hands.

"I'm worried." Olivia admitted quietly and Elliot only just about heard her.

"What about?" He asked softly.

"That him going back out there that…" She sighed again and Elliot just held her a little tighter for reassurance. "That he won't feel the same anymore."

"Olivia." Elliot groaned a little. "He loves you, that man adores you so much and has hated every minute of being away from you even though he loves his job. Jesus Liv if I had any doubts about the man do you think he'd still be around you?" He chuckled a little. "I know I was an ass at first but fuck Liv, he loves you and you love him and that's why I backed off."

"You're a great friend El." She smiled weakly as she stepped away from him. "Thank you."

"No problem." He grinned. "Now breakfast?"

* * *

Olivia caught a cab to the airfield in Brooklyn. She wanted to be alone even though Elliot had told her he would be by her side if he needed her but she'd made it clear by telling him to go spend the rest of his day off with his wife, she had the next week off to be with her man but Elliot would be back in work the next day.

Olivia had arrived particularly early, an hour early to be exact and she could see a couple of anxious people standing around and guessed that they too were there to meet loved ones. When her phone rang she panicked thinking maybe it was him with some explanation about not being on the plane but when she saw Cragen's name she almost screamed.

"Benson." She answered with an obvious agitated edge in her voice.

"Hey Liv where are you?" He asked gently.

"I'm in the waiting area of the air field, we're not allowed through till fifteen before landing." Olivia replied. "Why?"

"I'm at the front desk come meet me." He said before hanging up.

Olivia frowned as she glanced at the screen of her phone, she hadn't asked anyone to be there for her, she'd made it clear to Elliot this was something she had want to do alone and he had respected her wishes… unless he called Cragen which would mean a week of the silent treatment from her until she would be back in the office and they could argue and have Cragen send them to the cribs and then have Elliot apologise to her.

She walked through to the front desk slowly and as he said he would be Cragen was stood there with a gentle smile on her face.

"Captain?" She questioned as she walked towards him.

"I'll go when you go off to the meeting area but Elliot said he knew you'd be here really early and I didn't want you sitting around twiddling your thumbs. I won't come through there with you but I'd be happy to wait for you and drive you back to your place Elliot mentioned your car was being serviced again." Don said hurriedly, he could sense that Olivia was a bit pissed.

"Was you coming your idea or Elliot's?" Olivia asked knowing that he wouldn't lie to her.

"Mine." Don replied firmly.

"Thank you." She smiled and her shoulders instantly relaxed as she leant in to hug him.

"No problem, now how about we go and get some coffee in the bistro across the street?" He suggested.

* * *

"So how are you?" Cragen asked as soon as they were seated in the booth.

"I'm ok." Olivia replied absentmindedly looking out the window as if she had so many other things on her mind.

"He's going to be here soon." Cragen told her as he reached for her free hand.

"I know." Olivia smiled weakly. "I'm just… I can't wait to see him and it's stupid because yes we've been together four months now but we've only spent a month of that together…"

"A month where you saw each other every single day Olivia, when you begin to date someone that doesn't happen, normally you wouldn't have seen someone as much as you've seen Dominic spread out across the whole four months." Don told her with a slight chuckle.

"I guess." Olivia smirked, he was right on the mark because none of her ex's near enough had made it past the third date.

"I bet he's on that plane now, in US air space more than excited to see you again." Cragen told her gently.

"Don." Olivia said quite firmly which brought her superior's full attention to her. "What if…" Her voice failed her and Don could see the internal struggle from her mind flashing in a mixture of emotions across her face.

"What if…?" He questioned and Olivia sighed and used her free hand to rest her head on as she looked on so defeated.

"What if he doesn't feel the same for me as I feel for him?" She said in a near whisper, embarrassment and fear flushing her face and sparkling in her eyes.

"Doesn't feel the same?" Don said with a slight chuckle. "Olivia he fell head over heels for you the day you arrested him, and when he was found innocent he had to leave without truly getting a chance to say much to you but he persuade you Olivia, he came back to New York and he contacted you if what you told me is the truth."

"Yes." Olivia said with a slight nod on the head.

"That tells me he wanted you, to have a chance to be with you and if not to just be your friend, he cares about you and he loves you." Don told her. "And if we don't get a move on you're going to miss the plane landing."

Olivia glanced at where Don was looking over her shoulder and was thankful to see that it was now twenty to the hour.

She drank the rest of her coffee down and got up to leave with Don.

"Don…" She said awkwardly without looking at him as they began to walk back to the air field.

"Yes?" He asked gently.

"Would you… stay?" She asked visibly uncomfortable.

"At the airfield?" He asked.

"Yeah, at the meeting area." She replied.

"Of course I will." Don smiled feeling quite surprised at Olivia's wishes.

* * *

With only five minutes to go everyone in the meeting area was anxious. Some looked like they were about to die with the wait, others looked like they were exhausted having travelled from all over the USA to meet their loved ones. Some were in large groups or families, others like Olivia had been were on their own and some seemed to be like Olivia now with a friend or one or two family members around them.

"You ok?" Cragen asked as Olivia shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah." She said glancing up at the clock.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the plane is just touching down on the tarmac now, your loved ones will be with you shortly." An official called.

"Oh my God." Olivia whispered dropping her head into her hands.

Cragen reached over and gently stroked her back in a comforting and fatherly manner. She was shaking like a leaf beneath his hand and he could only wish he understood why.

"Five more minutes." Don told her gently. "Five more minutes and the moment you've been waiting for every day since the moment he stepped into that elevator will be here." Don continued as softly as he could so no one else would hear.

One by one the families stood up. Once Olivia took in a deep gasp of air she followed and her hand naturally slipped into Don's. First a few officials entered through the gate and they lined up. Olivia watched them in their dress blues and wondered how long it would be before the first man (or woman) made it through the gate.

As soon as the first person stepped through the crowd broke out into applause. Every head almost were looking around other people's heads trying to catch a glimpse of their loved one.

Olivia could see that these Marines were still in their dessert utility uniform and Olivia wondered if she'd even recognise Dominic, she'd never seen him in his before.

Of course she recognised him the second she saw him. She could see him scanning the place for her as she slowly let go of Cragen's hand and made her way over her speed picking up with each step. He grinned widely and the last two steps of her run finished with her crashing straight into his arms and him holding her tight still walking forward so that he wasn't in the way of the next marine who came through.

"You're here." She sobbed as she lifted her head from his chest and planted a strong kiss on his lips.

His tears slowly fell down his face as he cupped her cheeks with his hands and made sure she looked ok.

"I'm here." He told her before kissing her again. "God I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too." She hiccupped before kissing him again, she didn't want to break any form of contact between them yet.

Don who hadn't moved was watching the scene fondly. He had his handkerchief in his hand and slowly he wiped his tears before anyone could see them, he couldn't believe the effect this moment was having on him.

"I love you." She said. "I love you so much."

"I love you too Olivia, I love you so much too, I want to marry you Olivia, I want you to be my wife." He said as he rubbed his nose against hers.

"What?" She asked not breaking the contact but her eyes flying open.

"Please? Marry me Olivia? Be my wife?" He asked her with a hint of fear in his voice as he opened his eyes and held her hand tight. "You don't have too…"

"Yes." She said quickly. "Of course I will!" She said before starting to cry again.

He grinned widely and scooped her up into his arms having dropped his kits bag on the floor beside him. He spun her around and grinned happily, he'd been planning it but not quite like this and it surprised him that she'd said yes so easily.

"Really?" He asked after kissing her and placing her firmly on the ground.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes Dom … God I love you!" She sobbed happy cries.

"I… I haven't got a ring yet but …" He reached around his neck and unclipped his silver necklace.

Olivia knew what it was, she had asked about it when they'd been lying in bed and it was the only thing he was wearing. It was the Saint Michael pendant, patron saint of Marines that he had bought himself when he had his first promotion.

"My fiancé… Olivia." He said as he clasped the chain around her neck.

"Your fiancé." She smiled before kissing him again, having completely forgotten about Don Cragen standing less than ten feet away.

The place was starting to quieten as more and more people left with their loved one.

"Let me take you home." She said her hand stroking across his face softly.

"Please." He said with a laugh.

She slipped her hand into his and he lifted his kit bag onto his shoulder finally spotting Don Cragen he waved politely.

"Welcome Home Master Sergeant." Cragen said politely.

"Thank you Sir." He said nodding his head unable to shake his hand because of Olivia's death grip and his kit bag.

"Don's giving us a lift back." She told Dominic as she snuggled her nose into his arm, he smelled of Dominic and Iraq or dessert as Olivia had never been to Iraq to actually know what the place smelled like.

"Ok." Dominic smiled before kissing Olivia's head.

Don didn't mention that he'd heard the proposal, he thought Olivia would tell everyone at the office when she was ready to tell them and so he said nothing as they walked to the car so he could take them home.


	11. Chapter 11

Dominic had been home for a total of twenty hours and he and Olivia hadn't left each other except to go to the bathroom since his arrival. Don bade them both goodbye and refused to come in for a coffee when he dropped them off knowing that the two would want to be alone to catch up and the sooner they could do that the better.

Now they were finally out of bed and walking down through one of the busy New York streets, Dominic had a plan in mind that he wasn't letting Olivia in on. She didn't mind and instead walked holding his hand without any complaint her free hand playing with the silver Saint Michael's around her neck.

When he pulled her into Tiffany's Olivia managed not to gasp instead just held tighter to his hand wondering what he was up to. They were greeted at once and Dom pulled Olivia into his side and wrapped his arm over her shoulder almost protectively in manner.

"Hi I'm Sherona, how may I help you?"

"Hi we'd like an engagement ring." Dominic said and Olivia gasped and looked up at him.

"Dom…"

"You said yes, and the necklace is yours to keep but I want you to have a ring." He told her gently. "And I'm no good at choosing and have no idea where to begin so don't even look at the price here Olivia money isn't an object just find one you like."

"Dom…"

"Liv.."

"Fine but you choose and I'll just say whether I like it or not." She told him and he smiled before kissing her forehead softly.

"That I can do." He said and she grinned.

"Just this way." Sherona said her hand signalling the route further into the stroke. "Do you have anything in mind Sir? Ma'am?"

"Well if I know my fiancé she will want something obvious but not flashy, small enough that it doesn't get in the way at work but still obvious."

"You know me well. Something that isn't going to snag latex gloves easily." She replied turning to Sherona.

"Nurse?"

"Detective." Olivia smirked.

"Ok, well here are our in stock rings, if there isn't one you prefer then we have a catalogue and can order in…"

"That one." Dominic said pointing to a ring.

Sherona walked around and unlocked the cabinet pulling the box he was pointing to out and she handed it to Dominic.

"What do you think Liv?" He asked her.

"It's beautiful."

"That's Jean Schlumberger Lynn ring, one of Jean's most famous designs." Sherona said but neither Olivia nor Dom was paying any attention to her.

"This one?" He asked.

Olivia drew her finger softly across the gold x with diamond in each v section around.

"Perfect." She smiled.

"Try it." Dom said taking the ring out.

Olivia allowed Dominic to slide the ring onto her finger and they found it to be a perfect ring, it looked unique as an engagement ring, it was also small yet obvious and it was what Olivia would want, she would want people to notice it and ask her about it but she didn't want it to be thrown into someone's face or snag on her gloves hindering her work.

"We'll take it." He told Sherona, Olivia to busy admiring the ring to take notice.

"Would you like it boxed?" Sherona asked looking at Olivia with a smile on her face.

"No just ring it up, I don't ever want that ring coming off her finger." Dominic chuckled.

Olivia continued to admire the ring not paying any attention to the fact Dominic was paying for it with his card and when Sherona thanked them he put his arm around her and guided her from the shop. Once outside she turned and jumped on him, her arms wrapping tight around his neck and she kissed him. Once he was over the surprise he kissed her back softly and understood she was saying all she could in this physical manner.

"So what do you want to do for the next week that you're off?" Dominic asked as they began to head for Olivia's apartment.

"Get married." She said and it took a moment for Dominic to actually register what she'd said.

"Liv?" He questioned unsure if she had meant to say what she had.

"What?" She asked confused.

"I asked what you wanted to do while you were off, you said get married… do you want to do that this week?"

"I said that out loud?" She asked her face blushing.

"Yeah." He smiled his hand moving to cup her cheek. "Yeah you did… do you want to?"

"Want to what?" She asked.

"Get married this week?"

"Is it too soon? It's too soon… I wasn't supposed to say it out loud just think it…"

"You want to." He stated looking straight into her chocolate orbs.

She just nodded in reply. The truth was, she'd never been so sure of anything in her life as she was about this question.

"Well, we could go to get a license tomorrow and get in front of a judge as soon as possible." He told her. "I don't have family or friends in particular that I'd want to invite." He said beginning to walk again. "Do you think you could pull in a favour from any judge?"

"Donnelly owes me." Olivia said remembering something. "I'm sure she'd be more than happy to marry us."

"Good, call her, then tomorrow why don't you go shopping and by yourself something nice to wear, I'll wear my blues as I am a marine of course and then we can take your friends out for a meal after, I'll book somewhere nice and we'll even get a cake."

"You want to do this?" Olivia asked uncertainty ringing in her ears.

"More than anything." He replied with a smile.

"Ok well I'll call Don and Elliot to be our witnesses, Munch and Fin should be able to manage without them for a bit then they could meet us at the restaurant, I'll call Casey and Melinda to come to." She smiled. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Neither can I, it's fast but that's been us from the start Liv, we've been fast and guess what?"

"What?" She asked looking into his crystalline eyes.

"I couldn't be happier."

"Neither could I." She grinned.


	12. Chapter 12

**Just because they're married this isn't the end, the point of the story isn't the wedding that's why it's happening so quick it's what happens in following chapters that is the story!**

**Small chapter but just because this isn't the important bit of the story and I just want to get on to the good bits! Haha!**

Olivia jumped out of the cab and ran up the steps to the court house. She couldn't believe she was running late to her own wedding. When she arrived outside the courtroom she saw Elliot stood waiting for her.

"You're ok, calm down." He told her seeing her flustered face.

"I know I just… I can't breathe." She chuckled as she unbuttoned the large black dress coat she was wearing over her wedding dress.

Elliot admired her hair which was styled into an updo and had twisted crystals scattered around each twist. Her makeup was immaculate, emphasising her best features, her eyes and cheek bones. Once the coat came off he smiled seeing her wearing a tea length white dress with thick shoulder straps and v neck, a simple blue sash around the middle which he knew would match Dominic's dress blues. Her shoes were simple peep toe white silk around three inches high.

"It's awful isn't it? Too much?" She panicked seeing Elliot looking at her in a way he'd never looked at her before.

"No Liv… you look… wow." Was all he managed to say, he was in complete awe.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah… uh here." He reached onto the bench and Olivia saw the small bouquet of blue roses and white daisies. "I thought every bride should have flowers even if you and Dominic are doing things quick." He told her.

"Thanks you." She smiled and she quickly kissed his cheek.

"So are you ready to do this?" He asked.

"Oh God yes." She grinned.

He offered his arm to her and she happily took it without question while the court officer who was now holding Olivia's coat opened the door.

Elliot walked Olivia into the court room and she grinned when she saw half of SVU sitting there. Her eyes then latched onto Dom's. He was looking at her, completely lost in her eyes and her beauty.

Elliot handed Olivia over and gave a nod to Dominic before he stood beside Don who looked very proud even though he had personally thought this wedding was happening way to fast, the love between the couple was obvious though so he'd not said anything.

"We have gathered here today to witness the marriage of Olivia and Dominic, first I must ask if anyone present has any lawful reason why these two may not be joined in matrimony." Elizabeth Donnelly spoke clearly her eyes scanning the court room as if daring someone to speak up. "Ok, Dominic please repeat after me."

He nodded his head and gripped Olivia's hands, his eyes looking into hers.

"I do solemnly declare."

"I do solemnly declare." He said quietly, that only those closest to the couple could actually hear.

"That I know not of any lawful impediment."

"That I know not of any lawful impediment."

"Why I Dominic Colin Pruitt"

"Why I Dominic Colin Pruitt"

"May not be joined in matrimony to you Olivia Charlotte Benson."

"May not be joined in matrimony to you Olivia Charlotte Benson." At her middle name he rose an eyebrow, Olivia had told him she had one but had done her best to make sure he never found out as she wasn't a big fan of it or how she came about getting it.

"Olivia, repeat after me, I call upon these persons here present."

"I call upon these persons here present"

"To witness that I Olivia Charlotte Benson."

"To witness that I Olivia Charlotte Benson."

"Do take thee Dominic Colin Pruitt"

"Do take thee Dominic Colin Pruitt." She rose her eyebrow towards him at his middle name but she had known it from when he'd been arrested for murder.

"To be my lawful wedded husband."

"To be my lawful wedded husband." She grinned widely at the last sentence and Dominic beamed at her.

"Can I have the rings please?"

Don stepped forward and passed the box over to Liz who took to plain gold bands from the box, one thicker than the other.

"Dominic please place Olivia's ring on her finger."

Dominic was quick to place the ring on her finger and hold it half way down as he was supposed to.

"With this ring I thee wed."

"With this ring I thee wed." He said before sliding the ring down onto her finger.

"Olivia." Liz said and she repeated the action.

"With this ring, I thee wed." She whispered a tear breaking from her eye and down her cheek but she made no attempt to stop it.

"By the power invested in my by the state of New York I now pronounce you husband and wife." Liz said folding the vows in half. "Dominic will you kiss your bride already!" She teased.

The kiss was soft until Dominic wrapped his arms around her back and dipped her into a heart stopping kiss making the crowd woop!


	13. Chapter 13

**Just because they're married this isn't the end, the point of the story isn't the wedding that's why it's happening so quick it's what happens in following chapters that is the story!**

**Small chapter but just because this isn't the important bit of the story and I just want to get on to the good bits! Haha!**

It was the last day of Olivia and Dominic's 'honeymoon'. Tomorrow reality resurfaced and Olivia returned to work as Detective Olivia Pruitt, she was taking his name as they had agreed when she'd picked up the marriage license as she didn't want a Benson legacy and was glad it ended with her. Whether or not her co-workers would ever catch on to calling her "Pruitt" was a complete different matter.

"What are you doing?" Olivia asked as she swayed out of the bedroom in no more than a red silk robe.

"Just filling in the countless forms I have to hand in to the service with us being married." He explained without looking at her.

She sat beside him on the couch and picked up the already filled papers. Her eyes scanned the top one nonchalantly, it was just a simple change of next of kin and relation form, beneath that one was a change of address as he'd moved into her apartment as she would be home more often and deserved her own space.

The next one however shocked her. It was an unsigned but filled last will and testimony. Her heart beat as she saw that she was the only named beneficiary on it and she quickly put it to the bottom of the pile, she didn't want to read it. But then, the next form was just as bad. It was a notification form should he be killed in the line of duty. She'd filled her own while Dominic had been away because she didn't want him to come home from Iraq to find out she was dead and buried without him knowing a thing but seeing his in black and white sent chills up and down her spine.

"Come back to bed?" She asked once he dumped the pen down on the last form.

"Oh absolutely." He grinned.

ILB

Everything then happened quickly. Olivia went back to work and spent every free moment with her husband while he spent most of his time chilling out and popping by the station with flowers or coffee just as an excuse to see her, it usually meant he was feeling a little low and Olivia had begun to see this but apparently being around her brought him out of his depression.

As the days turned into weeks, the looming departure neared and Olivia was clearly on edge. She snapped more at those in the office and wanted to be held more by Dominic, which he didn't mind at all as he liked holding her but she was normally one of those who didn't want to be held often. George Huang spent more time at the office as the date loomed too. Don knew that Dominic leaving again was going to hit Olivia hard and for some reason he had a feeling she would take it harder this time than the last, possibly because this time it would be her husband leaving for war and he knew Olivia didn't want to think about possibly becoming a widow when she'd not even been married a month.

Olivia had definitely become a military wife. She had registered on the help for heroes' website, set up an ebluey account, bought herself a notebook laptop that could be carried in her purse and bought a lot of stuff where a percentage of the price went to the troops. Her desk was adjourned now with a small Marine teddy bear, on her wrist was a 'support our troops' band, on her keys a support our troops key ring, on her phone a small Marine charm that dangled aimlessly and of course on her coat a crystallised ribbon badge, she'd also accidentally worn her 'support our troops' sweater when she'd been called into work at three in the morning. It was her way of coping in some ways and in other ways it was the only way she could think of showing Dominic that she supported him and what he did.

When the day finally arrived for Dominic to leave once again Olivia was a trembling wreck. She'd gone into work like planned and her eyes kept fixed on the clock. Don, Elliot and George would be going with her and Dominic to the airfield where she would be able to say goodbye to him before he left for his three month tour and Olivia was already counting down the days until she would see him again.

The drive to Brooklyn was in silence. No one knew what to say as Olivia sat cuddled up to Dominic's side, holding onto him as if she would never let him go again. It was hard for all of them each in a different way but no one could understand the torment in both Olivia and Dominic's mind. They were still newlyweds in the honeymoon period and the thought of leaving each other was a massive blow but it was one they knew would come when they said I do, one they knew would come over and over again and yet still made it to the alter or in their case the court house.

"We're here." Don said quietly as Olivia had her face buried into Dominic's chest and his head was bowed and rested a top of Olivia's.

Slowly the duo moved and climbed out of the car. Olivia helped pull out his kit bag from the trunk which Elliot took a hold of so that Dominic could hold Olivia for a little longer. No words were passed between any of them as they walked towards the departure area.

"We'll wait here." Don said as they entered the dank building.

Olivia just gave a soft nod while Dominic accepted his kit bag back from Elliot. They then walked off to where numerous families had gathered to say goodbye to their loved ones.

"Now you take care of yourself out there." Olivia said when he finally turned to meet her gaze.

"You know I will." He replied with a soft smile. "You take care of yourself too right." He warned.

"You know I will." She smiled as his thumb stroked over her soft cheeks.

"Ok, I love you." He said.

"I love you too." She replied her voice just a whisper.

He pressed his lips to hers in a soft soul searching kiss and then when they broke apart he held her and kissed her head.

"Go." She told him.

He quickly let go picked up his kit bag and walked away. Olivia watched every step and even managed to put on a soft smile which masked the heart ache she was feeling when he turned around to wave. She waved back and continued to wave until his shape disappeared through the gate.

She let out a forced breath and turned around. She didn't cry, not this time. She didn't want to cry and appear weak in front of her family and friends but the second she stepped outside into the cool but humid air the nausea she'd been feeling in the pit of her stomach came like a strong wave and she only just made it to the garbage can before she emptied her stomach contents.

Elliot rushed over to her and was quick to pull her hair back and stroke her back softly as she continued to throw up. George rushed to the bistro across the road to by a bottle of water while Don Cragen stood feeling completely helpless.

As Olivia was being sick the tears came. When George returned he and Elliot helped Olivia sit down on the kerb and helped calm her down before she had a full blown panic attack.

"Sorry." She mumbled between sips of water.

"You're ok." Elliot told her as he stroked her back.

She dropped her head onto his shoulder and he wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"I don't know if I can do this." She whispered.

"What do you mean?" Elliot asked as Olivia wrapped her arms around herself but kept her head on Elliot's shoulder.

"Go through this every four months." She said. "I can't… it hurts El… it hurts so much and it feels like I'm going to die from the pain."

"I know Liv." He whispered as he stroked her shoulder softly. "It's never going to stop hurting, but it will get easier."

"What if it doesn't?" She asked but there was no answer to that anyone could give.


	14. Chapter 14

**Tori you know me too well! I'd written most of this before your review which made me giggle as I had wandered if you would be the one to work out where I was taking this story sorta with the last chapter!**

Olivia sat in her bathroom holding a white stick. It had been two weeks since Dominic had left but thanks to the ebluey's and Skype they'd spoken in some way almost every day and so Olivia hadn't felt missing him half as much this time, even though she had missed holding him and having him hold her in return, she missed his kiss and his touch but hearing his voice and seeing his face was better than nothing.

She'd first suspected she was pregnant a few days after Dominic had left. Her vomiting when he left hadn't set off any alarm bells but when she'd vomited the next day and the day after and the day after that approximately the same time each day she'd realised that she hadn't just been sick because she'd said goodbye to her husband.

As she hadn't want to face the chances that she could be pregnant she had ignored the symptoms that appeared one at a time but when Elliot pointed out how much she'd been sick and asked her if she was pregnant she knew she had to find out for certain.

Now Elliot was sitting in Olivia's living room while she sat in the bathroom. She wanted to see the result on her own but she wanted him to be close to her, it was second best to having Dominic by her side.

When she finally thought three minutes had passed she turned the test over in her hand and grateful that it was a digital one which told her exactly the result.

_'pregnant'_

She let out a deep breath and blinked back her tears. She wanted to be happy about this but the fact that she couldn't rush out and tell Dominic made it difficult to be happy.

She stood up and washed her hands before depositing the test in the bin. Once she felt she was ok she walked out of the bathroom. Elliot jumped to his feet when he heard the door open and he turned to look at Olivia. She stood in the open bathroom door and just gave a slight nod of the head.

"I'm pregnant." She said to clarify and Elliot smiled at her and she managed to smile back. "Oh my God I'm pregnant." She said the light finally coming on in her eyes.

"Congratulations." Elliot smiled as he walked over to her.

"I'm pregnant." She said again as if she was trying to make the news sink in.

Elliot pulled her into a hug and she held onto him tight. He was happy for her, as happy as he could be because he knew that under the circumstances she was as happy as she could possibly be with the news.

* * *

The next afternoon in the office Olivia was sat doing paperwork with the laptop open and signed into Skype, she was waiting for and hoping for Dominic to come online. She had made Elliot promise not to say anything until she'd told Dominic and he had told her she had to tell him as soon as she could then otherwise he was telling Cragen.

It was just after lunch when the familiar Skype ring tone filled the station. Olivia dove from the coffee pot to her desk and knocked answer.

Seeing his smiling face always brought a smile to her own.

"Hey baby." He said as Olivia smiled.

"Hey, let me just go upstairs I've got something I need to tell you." She said her voice soft.

Elliot gave her a nod as she glanced at him and she quickly hurried upstairs with the notebook making Dominic feel like he was going to get motion sickness from the way the webcam was jiggling.

Once she shut the door to the cribs she sat back on one of the cots and took a deep breath.

"Ok so what's so important that you couldn't tell me from your desk where we normally talk?" Dominic asked.

"Dominic." She said softly. "Dominic I'm pregnant."

"You're…"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I've not seen a doctor yet but I did a home test."

"I'm going to be a dad?" He asked.

"Yeah." Olivia nodded unsure whether he was happy about it or not as all he was showing her was that he was shock.

"Oh my God I'm going to be a father!" He yelled happily.

Everyone in the room he was in whooped and hollered and Olivia laughed and finally relaxed.

"Oh my God this is amazing Olivia!" He grinned at her.

"See why I couldn't say anything down in the office?" She chuckled and he nodded in reply.

"I'm going to be a Daddy." He said again.

"You're going to be a Daddy." She repeated and he grinned again.

"Wow, oh my God Liv… we're going to be parents."

"Yeah." She replied just as an alarm went off on Dominic's side.

"Shit babe I've got to go…"

"Go, I'll talk to you later." She replied.

"I love you."

"Love you too." She managed just before he hung up.

Once she closed the laptop she relaxed back for a moment. She knew that now Dominic knew she would have to go down and tell Cragen but she just wanted five minutes to celebrate on her own as she knew as soon as she told Don then they'd be negotiating her being on a desk and maternity leave and she wasn't quite ready to go there yet.

A knock on the door of the crib brought her out of her daze and she looked up just as Elliot walked in.

"We've got a lead Cap wants us to check it out if you're ready."

"Yeah." She said getting to her feet.

"Did you tell him?"

"Yep." She nodded.

"And?"

"He's ecstatic." Olivia smiled.

* * *

After running down the lead on their latest case it was late when Olivia and Elliot walked back into the precinct. Olivia looked at Elliot who just nodded his head towards Cragen's office. Elliot had told her now she had to tell the Captain seeing as Dominic knew, Munch and Fin didn't have to know yet but Elliot knew the importance of the Captain knowing.

With a sigh she made her way over to the office and knocked lightly on the door. When Cragen called for her to enter she gave one last look at Elliot who nodded his head in support.

"Olivia, what can I do for you?" Cragen asked as soon as Olivia shut the door.

"Uh… I've got something I need to talk to you about." She said her hands fumbling nervously.

"Take a seat." Cragen replied gently.

Olivia slipped into one of the seats in front of the desk and tried to appear relaxed but it wasn't working.

"Everything ok?"

"I'm pregnant." She blurted, she didn't want to quite say it like that.

"Oh." Cragen said in surprise. "Wow uh congratulations?"

"Thank you." She smiled, she could tell that he wasn't sure whether Olivia saw it as good news or bad news.

"How long have you known?"

"I found out yesterday, I didn't want to say anything till Dominic knew." She explained. "Elliot knows too, he was with me yesterday when I did the test but no one else knows yet."

"Ok." Cragen nodded. "How far along?"

"I don't know, I'll make a doctor's appointment soon."

"Let me know when I'll make sure you have the time."

"Thank you." She smiled, now he knew it was weight off her shoulders.


	15. Chapter 15

**So you all see I'm jumping from chapter to chapter but it's because there's no point wasting time with the boring bits, one reviewer Sarah501b I believe it was, said she thinks drama was coming… of course, it wouldn't be me or my story if there wasn't any drama! So here we begin to set up to the drama …**

"Everything ok Olivia?" Elliot asked as Olivia sat at her desk staring at the small laptop in front of her.

"Fine." She mumbled but her eyes didn't leave the computer in front of her.

"Liv." Elliot sighed, he got out of his seat and walked around to her his hand pushing the laptop closed making her jump to her feet.

"Elliot!" She yelled drawing unnecessary attention their way.

"Your eyes haven't left that damn machine in three days Olivia, what the hell is going on?" Elliot snapped and Olivia's shoulders sagged before she sunk into her desk chair.

"He's not been on-line." She whispered tears pooling in her chocolate eyes. "He's been on every other day since he's left but he's not been on in six days… I…"

"If something had happened to him Olivia you would have been the first to know." Elliot said in a gentle tone.

"But… six days Elliot, he never mentioned that he would be away from the office long enough that I would worry…"

"It could be a last minute assignment Olivia, you never know." Elliot tried to reassure but the tears kept coming down Olivia's cheeks.

Her hand stroked across her now very small yet visible bump. Dominic had been away for seven weeks in total and Olivia missed him more this time than the last, she wasn't sure if it was the fact that she was carrying their baby or the fact that she was now his wife but it was much harder this time around.

"He'll be in touch soon." Elliot said stroking her shoulder.

Her eyes lifted to meet his briefly but she couldn't stop crying. She looked back to her desk and gazed at the pictures she had, her wedding picture that Cragen had taken on a digital camera and her sonogram beside it.

"Why don't you come over to ours tonight?" Elliot suggested, he'd been inviting Olivia over at the behest of Kathy more and more as the weeks had progressed especially when Olivia was having a particularly rough day and most surprising Olivia had been accepting some, not all, but some of the invitations thrown her way.

"Not tonight El, I have to be in court tomorrow so I'm going to go over the case files and stuff, you know how big this case is. According to Casey the Chief of D's hasn't missed a single day of the trial." Olivia stated, the press exposure alone was enough to worry Casey but the fact that it had been revealed that the perp was the long lost adopted brother of the Chief was something no one had expected but when a familial match for the DNA had been ran it was revealed and of course in every department there was a leech who leaked for money.

"Of course, I'll be there too and Cragen…"

"I don't need you guys to baby sit. It was me who made the mistake." Olivia whispered.

She knew she was going to get it on cross examination.

"You didn't make a mistake Olivia, you went with your gut and ok you may have been a little bit more aggressive than needed but he didn't ask for a lawyer and his confession is solid."

"Whatever El, I know what to say I know what to say I just want to do what I can on the facts for Casey before the defence drag me through the dirt because we both know he's going to say I took the case to personally and that I should have recused myself from the case as soon as I knew what it involved." Olivia explained rubbing her hand across her forehead.

"Olivia, this man went out and killed families of killed military personnel, _families _Olivia. Children, husband and wives, killed because one sicko thought that the families should be together in heaven, that was his dumb prospective. But thanks to you that man is facing twenty seven murder charges. You're the one who caught him, you're the one who figured out the key to the case and you did that because you understood, to some degree, you understood what the families left behind, the extended families, would be going through having lost not only their hero but the rest of their hero's family too…"

"Thanks El." Olivia said giving him a weak smile, it didn't mean she agreed with him completely but in so many ways she agreed to some degree and that was all she needed.

* * *

Olivia had already been sat in the witness box for an hour. She was still being questioned by Casey and she had a feeling that she wouldn't be cross examined till the morning as it was already four thirty and Casey wasn't even half done.

"Detective Benson, when you entered the Hoffman residence what did you find?" Casey asked her hand reaching for the evidence log from the Hoffman residence.

"We found newspaper cuttings on each of the military personnel killed at war followed by family …" Olivia's voice cut off when she saw the door in the back of the courtroom open.

Normally, she wasn't fazed by the comings and goings during her testimony but there was something so familiar about the man who tried to slip through the door that it had caught her attention.

"Detective…"

She didn't hear Casey. Her eyes were still glued on the eyes of the person stood grinning at her.

"Dominic." She whispered.

Casey didn't hear her, neither did anyone else in the courtroom but finally Casey and many others turned around to see what she was staring at.

Dominic stood tall in his desert utility uniform with his kit bag on his shoulder and Olivia knew he'd touched down, jumped into a cab and gone straight to the court room.

"Your Honour may we call a recess?" Casey asked knowing Olivia knew not to move yet.

Olivia listened but her eyes which now sparkled gazed adoringly at her husband.

"We will break here for the day and resume at nine am Detective Benson…"

"I know." Olivia nodded as she got to her feet.

Liz Donnelly smiled and watched as Olivia stepped down. Her eyes never left Dominic's as she slowly crossed the floor. He walked slowly down the aisle between the benches and as soon as the gate opened Olivia took to running steps and jumped into his arms.

His kit bag fell to the floor as she began to cry into his shoulder. Elliot stood up and began to clap slowly, Olivia and Dominic completely oblivious especially when Don joined in followed one by one by the families of those who had lost their hero in battle. Olivia's lips fell to Dominic's and his to hers. His hands stroked her cheeks wiped her tears as the room was now at a full standing ovation.

Dominic then dropped to his knees and his hands found Olivia's tiny bump. He looked up at her and she grinned at him happily, the tears of which were of joy sliding freely down her face. He pressed his lips to her stomach and she dropped her head back in laughter as the room gushed and continued to applaud at the scene in front of them.

When Dominic stood again Olivia's tears had subsided but her smile hadn't faded.

"I thought something had happened." She whispered. "Six days…"

"I know I'm sorry, it was last minute I was sent on a detail then had a string of meetings, I didn't want you to worry." He said as the room began to calm down.

Slowly the people around them began to slip quietly out of the courtroom leaving the couple with their friends. Elliot and Don along with the Chief of D's came over to the couple who were wrapped in a very strong embrace.

"Detective Benson."

Olivia quickly spun on her heels and practically stood to attention in front of her boss' boss so to speak.

"Sir?" She questioned.

"I can now see why you were so adamant to see this case through and do it by the book, I think the families are waiting outside those doors for you." He said.

"Of course sir… I didn't mean to cause a spectacle it's just …"

"You don't need to explain, my father was in the Army Detective. I know what it's like to not hear about a loved one, the waiting, the missing." He told her. "But seeing you now, it made me see I have to take to the stand and let them delve into the history of what possibly made my brother do what he did, I hope you and …" He looked up at Dominic who happened to tower over him.

"Master Sergeant Dominic Pruitt." Dominic introduced with a firm handshake.

"You and Master Sergeant will be here for that. I will make sure that my brother pays for his crimes and that your hard work isn't wasted by one mistake. Also Detective…" He had begun to walk away before he remembered something else he needed to say. "I'll see your vacation time returned to you and the incident regarding the perp wiped from your record." He said before walking away.

"Thank you." Olivia called after him and though she knew he heard he didn't acknowledge it.

"You have some explaining to do." Dominic whispered as he nuzzled his head into her hair.

"As do you Master Sergeant but first I have families to see." Olivia said.

"Good to see you Dominic." Elliot said shaking his hand.

"You too Elliot." Dominic replied. "Don." He said moving on to the older man.

"Glad to see you home safe Dominic." Don smiled as he shook the Marine's hand.

**I KNOW – a lot of things going unexplained but as we're hitting drama there's going to be more details so many explanations in the coming chapters such as Why is Dominic home? What has the chief of d's to reveal about his brother? What did Olivia actually do that could have cost the prosecution its case?**


	16. Chapter 16

**So you all see I'm jumping from chapter to chapter but it's because there's no point wasting time with the boring bits, one reviewer Sarah501b I believe it was, said she thinks drama was coming… of course, it wouldn't be me or my story if there wasn't any drama! So here we begin to set up to the drama …**

Olivia and Dominic sat cuddled up on the couch after enjoying a home cooked meal together. He'd asked about the trial, her days since he'd been gone but had refused to talk to her about why he was home so soon, only telling her that it was something that they would want to discuss after their food.

"So Master Sergeant are you going to tell me what you're doing home?" Olivia asked as he stroked his hand up and down her stomach slowly.

"I am. I don't want you to get upset though Olivia because it's not good for the baby." He said and Olivia felt her insides clench.

"I can't promise I won't." She whispered in reply knowing if it wasn't good news then it was going to hurt her somehow.

"Ok." Dominic sighed his hands moving to wrap around her shoulders instead. "I'm home for r and r, you know rest and relaxation for two weeks."

"Ok." Olivia said knowing there was more to come.

"Then I have to go back." He said his voice far more on edge than Olivia had expected.

"For how long?" She asked knowing it would have something to do with that.

"Six months." He whispered.

"Dominic…" Her voice cracked. "I'm due in six months."

"I know." He replied.

"Well what's the date your due back?" She asked trying to supress the urge to cry and scream and through a fit.

"I should be home on the fourth of February." He told her.

"I'm due on the sixth." She replied. "I guess we just have to hope that junior holds on till then."

"I hope so too. I'm sorry Olivia I had no say in this at all, there's been a flurry of attacks across the south and they need their best men out there." He explained knowing she was crying silent tears.

"I understand." She whispered but the cry was there.

"I'm sorry. I'm going to miss all your pregnancy Olivia, I had arranged to take some leave, be home for the last three months of the pregnancy or at least be based in the city so I could be there for you and for our little one." He told her but it was futile, she wasn't listening anymore as numerous scenarios played in her head.

"What if our baby comes before you get home?" She asked knowing the answer anyway.

"Then I'll be home as soon as I can Olivia." He promised. "But if our little Pruitt can hold on till Daddy's home then that will be even better."

* * *

By the next morning Olivia had decided to just enjoy the next couple of weeks. At least Dominic would be here for her next Doctor's appointment where they may even find out the sex of their child.

Dominic went with her to court. He dressed in his blues as this case hit too close to home. When he had found out that the family of the Marine whom he was friends with was one set of victims he knew he had to stand by his wife and not only that but speak with Jordan's parents.

Olivia took to the stand again that morning. She was quickly finished up by Casey and then the defence attorney Mathew Hammond was quick to lay into her.

"Detective Benson is it true that you're what is considered a Military Wife?"

"Objection. Relevance?" Casey yelled.

"I'm merely trying to find the mind-set of the Detective who not only worked the case but also beat a confession out of my client…"

"Overruled, answer the question Detective." Donnelly sighed.

"Well I guess, but you'd have to give me an exact definition as to what is actually considered a Military Wife for me to answer honestly." Olivia replied deciding to tip toe around the question.

"Would you show your left wrist to the court?"

Olivia frowned and picked up her left arm where the Support our Troops wristband was sitting.

"That is a Support our troops wristband you're wearing right?"

"Yes."

"The lapel of your jacket, I'm seeing a crystal ribbon which is also from the Support our Troops website is it not?"

"Yes."

"And your husband is the man sitting right there in his Marine Blues?"

"Yes."

"Then yes you are by definition a military wife. Do you like the Military Detective?"

"I don't paticulalry." Olivia replied looking over at Dominic, she'd been asked the same question at his trial.

"Yet you married a Marine?"

"Yes I did. I support the men and women who fight for our country, I can do that without supporting the military." Olivia replied with a hint of a challenge in her voice.

"Detective how long have you been married?"

"Objection!" Casey yelled.

"State of mind."

"Overruled."

"Three Months." Olivia replied.

"We all saw the display you and your husband put on yesterday, from his attire and your behaviour I gather he was coming home from war?"

"Yes." Olivia replied.

"How long had he been away?"

"Nine weeks." Olivia hissed, this was getting tedious.

"Nine weeks, when did this case land on your desk Detective?"

"Eight weeks ago. It was a homicide case but they weren't getting anywhere with it." Olivia replied through gritted teeth.

"So at the time this case was given to you, your newlywed husband was out in Iraq?"

"Yes." Olivia sighed, she knew exactly where this was going.

"What was going through your mind when that case landed on your desk Detective?"

"I knew I had to get justice for the families." Olivia replied. "Find their killer."

"Were you thinking about your husband? Your unborn child?"

Olivia's hand rubbed over her stomach.

"Sometimes." Olivia replied honestly.

"So you worked this case hard and fast because of your own personal experience in having a spouse at war."

"Is that even a question?" Olivia spat.

"It is." He replied though it hadn't been phrased like one.

"No, I worked the case to get justice for the families, to stop this man from killing more people in families that were already suffering."

"Ok, so you were the detective who got my client to confess is that right?"

"Yes." Olivia replied knowing where this was going.

"Is it a coincidence that he had two black eyes a broken nose and a fat lip leaving your squad room?"

"No."

"Could you explain how my client came about getting these injuries?"

"I can't be sure."

Casey looked over at her knowing she was being very close to lying under oath. They had gone over this and over it making sure Olivia never answered the question directly.

"Why can't you be sure?"

"Well your client took a fall down some stairs when leaving to go to central booking, so that is one way that your client could have come by the injuries…"

"Isn't it true you also beat the confession out of my client?"

"No it's not." Olivia replied.

"So what is the second way my client could have got injured?"

"The interrogation got a little out of hand."

That was putting it lightly. Olivia had beat the confession out of the killer and it had taken Cragen and Elliot to restrain her when she had lost it but the point was as long as she wasn't asked directly she could answer cryptically and get away with it but still the evidence was stacked in the people's favour so there wasn't much to worry about.

"You beat my client didn't you Detective?"

"I had to use physical force."

"Had to or wanted to?"

Olivia was slowly losing her temper, she was dying for the toilet and she was hungry.

"I wanted to alright!" She snapped. "I saw my husband in every military killed and when I had to go to crime scenes and see families of those military personnel killed I felt sick to my stomach thinking of my child. I didn't beat the confession out of your client I beat him after he confessed once I knew for sure we had the right person!"

"No more questions."

It was a case of give them enough rope and they'd hang themselves.

"You may step down Detective."

Olivia grumbled and flashed Casey a very apologetic look as she walked back to the gallery and a recess was called.

"Ok?" Dominic asked as he gently stroked Olivia's shoulder.

"Yeah I just really have to go to the bathroom. Baby Pruitt is dancing on my bladder." She laughed.

"Then I am taking you both out for lunch." Dominic called after her.

"Sounds good!" She called back.

"Elliot you'll come? And Don?" Dominic asked the two men beside him.

"Yeah sure." Elliot nodded.

"Thank you." Don nodded too.

**Still unanswered questions but it is all to come!**


	17. Chapter 17

**So you all see I'm jumping from chapter to chapter but it's because there's no point wasting time with the boring bits, one reviewer Sarah501b I believe it was, said she thinks drama was coming… of course, it wouldn't be me or my story if there wasn't any drama! So here we begin to set up to the drama …**

"You think you know a person." Elliot said as he, Olivia and Dominic sat on the steps of the courthouse.

The Chief had just been up to give his testimony and the group had been shocked at what he'd opened up about quite easily considering there was almost a room full of his subordinates. Turned out his brother was put into the care system when he was seven years old. His Mother could no longer take care of him when her husband died at war.

"Well the Chief is a decent man, his brother… not so much." Olivia replied with a shrug as she played with her wedding band.

"Hmm, why don't you head off Liv I'll cover you if need be." Elliot knew that Olivia need to relax and be with Dominic.

"You'll call with the verdict?"

"Of course." He smiles before Dominic managed to pull Olivia away.

"So my gorgeous wife, what would you like to do with the time we have?" He asked as she linked her arm with him.

"Can we do the nursery?" She asked. "I just want you to be involved in some aspect of this pregnancy before you go away."

"Ok." He nodded with a smile even though inside he was sure his hear was breaking because he was going to miss out on so much.

Together they spent the afternoon buying paint, clothes, furniture, and everything else they could possibly need for their unborn child and when they arrived back at the apartment they were exhausted.

"Why don't you have a nap, I'll get started on dinner?" Dominic suggested as Olivia fought sleep on the sofa.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." He replied before kissing the top of her head.

"I love you." She whispered as she lay down.

"I love you too." He smiled.

As Olivia slept on the couch and Dominic cooked in the kitchen he couldn't help but be disheartened. He'd wanted to be a father for a long time but had accepted that with his job the chances of that happening were slim to none, the worst thing for him was knowing that he was going to miss out on the pregnancy and possibly the birth because of his job and he knew that he needed to begin considering taking a job with the marines that had him based in New York, even if that did mean less pay.

* * *

The next two weeks flew by way too fast for anyone's liking. Olivia and Dominic had managed to decorate their unisex bedroom and also Olivia had an ultrasound with him present thanks to her OBGYN who understood that Olivia wanted to give that to Dominic. When it was time for him to go she took him alone to Brooklyn, not wanting anyone from the one six there with her as this was going to be painful enough without anyone having to witness it.

At the departure gate the two embraced for as long as possible before the final call was announced and they had to kiss goodbye. After whispered I loved you's Olivia watched her husband leave and hoped that he would be home in time to see their child enter the world. She wasn't sure it was going to happen but she had hope and prayer that baby Pruitt would hold on till Daddy was home.

**Sorry it's short, I finally found the notebook that had all of this story written out from the next chapter on and so I get to write it and finish it and all I can do is apologise it's taken this long**


	18. Chapter 18

Time, surprisingly went by fast for Olivia. She was being kept busy by her friends who had really rallied around her and supported her with Dominic away. She spoke with him nearly every day too and she was so excited to finally be able to tell him the sex of their child. They'd decided and agreed to find out beforehand, mainly because Casey was throwing a baby shower and said it would be harder without knowing the sex but also because they wanted to choose a name together in case, worst came to worse Olivia would go into labour before Dominic's arrival home.

"Hey!" She said excitedly as she sat in the crib an answered the Skype call that came in.

"Hey baby." He beamed. "Wow you're looking amazing Liv, you're just glowing!" He said excitedly.

"Thanks. Jesus I miss you Dom."

"I know." He sighed. "I miss you too and our baby."

"Oh I found out the sex!" She said excitedly hating to dwell on what they couldn't change.

"Well?" Dominic asked excitedly.

"A boy!" She beamed.

"Oh that's amazing, we're having a son?!"

"Yup! We need to start thinking of a name Dom, I'm already two thirds of the way there!" Olivia smiled, she was at the six months mark now and she was beyond excited.

"I know, I'll write you some possibilities, you write me some of yours and then we'll agree and disagree on ones we like and don't like how does that sound?"

"Good." She replied just as an alarm went off on the other side. "You better go." She said sad the conversation wouldn't last long.

"I know, just letting you know quickly I love you both and I'll talk to you soon."

"I know we love you too." She replied rubbing her bump.

"Bye." He said quickly before hanging up.

* * *

The next month went by really fast and it was the day of Olivia's baby shower which was taking place in the one six squad room, she would be leaving for maternity for the last eight weeks of her pregnancy.

It all went fluidly, there was no call and they all played a myriad of games and enjoyed each other's company and Olivia had to admit that she enjoyed herself very much even though there was one person missing from the celebrations. The SVU Squad and their co-workers from other departments showered Olivia and the baby with love and gifts to wish her well.

They were all digging into the beautiful baby blue pacifier cake when two very important looking men in Marine Uniforms walked into the squad room. Olivia felt herself beginning to shake and the cake she'd just eaten rise as bile in her throat as Elliot rushed to her side.

"It might not be Dom." He said quietly as Cragen stepped up to the men, Olivia and Elliot listened intently to the conversation.

"We're sorry to disturb the festivities Captain." One said in a very formal manner.

"It's no problem, is everything ok?"

"May we step inside your office?" The second asked glancing over at Olivia and Elliot.

"Of course." Cragen said before showing them the way, he glanced nervously at Elliot and Olivia as he passed knowing that the marines would be here about one of them, Elliot was still technically enlisted meaning he could be called to war if it was necessary though they highly doubted that would ever happen.

Munch made Olivia some fruit tea and brought it over to her as they waited anxiously for news. Casey and Melinda both wrapped up the party knowing if something had happened Olivia wouldn't want the whole of the one six and others to witness it.

It seemed like hours before she was finally called into the office. Elliot had to support her as she struggled from her seat but she made sure, with a look, that he didn't follow her inside.

"Cap?" Olivia asked as soon as she'd shut the door behind her.

"Take a seat Olivia." Cragen said quietly, she was petrified that this was her worst nightmare come to life.

"I'm ok." She said.

"Please?" He replied quickly, remembering how she'd fallen to her knees the first time Dominic left her.

"No… no, no, no…please?" She whispered tears falling from her eyes already.

"He's not dead Liv." Cragen whispered stepping forward and wrapping an arm around her waist. She let him guide her to the couch, the words he'd just spoken ringing in his ears.

"Is he ok? Is he hurt?"

"We don't know." One Marine said kneeling down in front of Olivia as she clutched to her bump.

"What do you mean you don't know?" She yelled becoming more panicked with each passing second.

"Liv you need to keep calm for the baby." Don warned sitting beside her.

"Where's my husband?" She whispered desperately at the Marine in front of her.

"Mrs Pruitt we don't know." He said with an apologetic look on his face. "Your husband and a few of his comrades were travelling across the desert when they hit an IED, we found the sight of the explosion, we found and identified five bodies… there were seven traveling in the convoy, your husband and another Marine's whereabouts are currently unknown."

"What do you mean unknown is he alive?" Olivia asked still panicking.

"We don't know Ma'am. All we can say at the moment is he's MIA."

"No!" Olivia yelled falling into the Marine in front of her and hitting his chest with her fists. The Marine did nothing to stop her, actually he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight as she battled him before breaking out in sobs which wracked her whole body. She continued to sob until she gasped out in pain the Marine lifting her up a little to see her clutching her stomach.

"Olivia?" Don asked.

"Braxton hicks… it has to be right?" She asked looking at her superior.

"I don't…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as Olivia gasped and grabbed tight to the Marine's arm. She felt like her bladder had burst and at first that's what she thought it was but she knew better and as liquid dripped from the edge of the couch onto the floor she looked up in even more panic at her superior.

"My water just broke." She whispered.


	19. Chapter 19

"It's too soon." Olivia whispered as the Marine helped her to stand, this was a comrade's wife and he and his partner were going to help in any way they can, they would be sticking around anyhow waiting for news on Dominic to give to his wife.

"I know Liv." Don said as he took her hands in his own. "We need to get you to the hospital ok?" He said and she just nodded, visibly still in a complete panic. "Ok." He said guiding her out slowly as she walked carefully feeling particularly weak.

She looked at Elliot and then at Casey who had been with her through most of this pregnancy, they would be there for her if Dom wasn't that was kind of their unspoken agreement but as she gripped to her superior's hand they realised by the wet patch on her maternity jeans what had happened.

"Hospital… now." She said as Elliot hurried up to them.

"We should call a bus…"

"No time!" She yelled.

"Stabler get the squad car ready, we're going lights and siren to Mercy." Don said as Olivia stopped and doubled over in pain.

"Ugh-ahh!" She moaned her hand clutching her stomach.

"Ok, sorry about this Mrs Pruitt." The Marine said seconds before he lifted her in his arms.

"Oh my God." She muttered embarrassed even though she clutched around his neck as he hurried to the elevators.

He carried her all the way down to the car and helped her inside before stepping back so Don could jump in.

"We'll meet you there." The Marine said to the Detective's superior before shutting the door on them and watching as Elliot floored it out, leaving just a puff of smoke behind them.

Olivia panted and took deep breaths like she'd learned in Lamaze classes which Elliot had insisted she attend with him. She was beyond scared, she was only just thirty two weeks pregnant and she knew somehow that the shock of finding out that something had happened to Dominic had brought it on.

"Just hold on baby, please hold on." Olivia murmured just as another contraction tore through her body.

They arrived at Mercy General in a record three minutes and a team hurried out to meet her.

"This is Detective Olivia Pruitt, she's thirty two weeks pregnant and has gone into premature labour, contractions are one minute twenty seconds apart." Don said as a nurse helped Elliot get Olivia out of the car and onto the gurney.

"Ok, let's get her straight up to maternity please!" A doctor shouted.

"I'll move the car, go with her Don." Elliot said and the older man gave a grateful nod before hurrying behind his female detective.

Once on the maternity ward Olivia was stripped and in a gown before a midwife came to give her a sweep.

"Ok you're only about three inches dilated at the moment Mrs Pruitt, I know the contractions are close but we have a while to go yet." She explained just as Olivia groaned through another piercing pain. "Would you like any pain relief?"

"Just gas and air, no epidural." Olivia gasped out as Don held her hand tight in his own, he hated seeing her in this much pain and he didn't know what was worse, the emotional pain on her face at the possibility of losing Dominic or the fact that she was in premature labour.

She was hooked up to a few machines, some monitoring her and other monitoring the baby and the head of the gas and air planted firmly between her teeth.

"Never … ever … again." She murmured, Don just chuckled, the little knowledge he had suggested all women said that and then went and did it over and over again.

* * *

Three hours later and Olivia was only an inch more dilated, it seemed for a premature baby, baby Pruitt was really going to take it's sweet time in getting there. Olivia's contractions were every thirty seconds though which was ok according to the midwife, as long as they didn't begin to slow down now they were on track, if they slowed down then they would need to think of Plan B and go in for a C-Section.

They gave her an injection to help the baby's lungs but Olivia had been told her baby would have been a big baby going to full term and the midwife made a guess at this baby being close to if not over six pounds even at thirty two weeks and if that was the case then they would have very little to worry about.

Elliot and Don stayed by her side, giving her ice chips when requested and stroking her forehead with a cold flannel when needed. When Olivia changed positions to try and be more comfortable they both helped and neither cared that they got a flash of her backside a few times. They took in turns to rub her back when she wasn't lying on it and also to go outside to update the family and get an update from the Marines.

All they knew so far about Dominic was that he was MIA and there was a team out looking for them. Olivia was convinced that Baby Pruitt had been worried about his Daddy but was now holding on hoping Daddy could get to them in time for the birth, though Olivia had already faced that was no longer a possibility unless he was already on a flight home.

"No more…" Olivia whimpered as she was hit with another contraction, the gas and air was doing nothing to help the pain only make her feel woozy but she had really had enough. Her bangs were stuck to her forehead, pieces of her hair were stuck to her cheeks, she was shivering with cold as her body was covered in sweat.

"I know Liv, I know." Elliot whispered as Don mopped her brow again.

"I can't do it." She whispered as another contraction hit, she was barely able to catch her breath in between each one.

"Yes you can Liv, think how amazing it's going to be when you hold your little boy for the first time." Don said gently.

"Not without Dom…" She hiccupped as she was overcome by tears.

"Right Olivia let's see if baby Pruitt is ready to make an appearance anytime soon." The midwife said coming in and snapping latex gloves onto her hands.

Don and Elliot looked at Olivia's face as she was given another sweep. It didn't bother her or them that they were still there while a nurse poked and prodded at her most private area but they would rather not watch it.

"Ah!" Olivia's hips bucked off the bed as she was hit with another wave.

"Ok we're at five now Olivia, half way there." The midwife said encouragingly.

"I don't think this baby is coming today." Olivia moaned through the pain. The midwife glanced at the clock and saw it was only just eight pm, somehow though she agreed with the Detective's observation.

Olivia had officially been in labour five hours and it was a nightmare, she didn't know how some women managed thirty hours of this but in saying that her contractions were still twenty to thirty seconds apart and strong whereas some woman had them just minutes apart before they delivered, right now she wished she was one of those, able to breathe in between each painful cramp she experienced.

"I'll go update everyone." Don said as Olivia lay back on her side with Elliot rubbing circles along her lower back, he didn't know if it helped or not but Olivia hadn't complained about it.

Don walked down the corridor to the full waiting room. Casey was there as was Munch, Fin, Melinda, Moralez and O'Halloran who had joined in the baby shower festivities, the two marines were also still there as were the Stabler's.

"Well?" Kathy asked.

"Five centimetres, contractions every twenty seconds." He said and he saw both Kathy and Melinda grimace.

"How is she Don?" Casey asked not understanding exactly what he meant but could ask about her emotions.

"In a lot of pain, she's refused an epidural every time they've offered but she's taking the gas and air but I don't think it's having any affect. Any news on Dominic?"

"We've had a hint of a location, there's a team going after them right now, we'll let you know as soon as."

"Thank you." Don said before hurrying back to his Detective's side.


	20. Chapter 20

Ten hours later and things still weren't going Olivia's way. She was seven centimetres dilated and the cramps were still every twenty to thirty seconds. A total of seventeen hours had gone by and she was so exhausted and if it wasn't for the pain she was in she would have slept.

"Anything?" Olivia asked when Don came in after going to find some news, he smiled widely and she knew that there was news, good news.

"He's safe."

"Where is he?"

"Right now? Probably on the way to a plane to come home." Don beamed as Olivia smiled tiredly.

"At this rate he'll make it home!" She grunted through her pain.

"Maybe, he has a broken leg but other than that he's fine, he and his comrade crawled back, were almost at the camp when they were picked up. He's ok Liv and on his way home." Don assured.

"Thank you." She smiled exhaustedly as she braced herself for another contraction.

Don retook his seat and took Olivia's hand. Elliot and he hadn't left Olivia's side and hadn't slept in the seventeen hours she'd been in labour. They weren't missing a second of it and were being as supportive as they could even though Olivia had snapped at them a few times, they hadn't been hurt by it understanding that it was just Olivia in pain speaking.

Kathy had been home and come back surprised Olivia hadn't given birth while she and her family slept, everyone else though had stayed vigil in the hospital, sleeping sporadically on the seats. The Marines had practically been like family too, staying at the hospital, loosening their clothing and just being there to report to Don Cragen about Dominic.

Another two hours and Olivia's Midwife looked up with a smile.

"We're at eight let's go the delivery suite." She said and Olivia felt a mix of emotions, she wanted her husband there but she also wanted to meet her son.

Olivia continued to hold Elliot and Don's hands as she was taken in a wheel chair upstairs to the delivery suite. By the time she was given the sweep again she was at nine and the midwife got her team prepped.

There was a lot of people in the room and Olivia knew it was because she was premature. They hadn't been able to slow down the labour because her waters had broken so it had just been a waiting game, the team had been on standby for this moment for the past nineteen hours.

"And we're at ten." The midwife announced with a smile. "Are you ready Olivia?"

"Yes?" Olivia grunted.

"Ok, on your next contraction I want you to push ok?"

Olivia managed a nod and gritted her teeth as she parted her legs, she didn't want to use the stirrups preferring to have her feet planted on the matress.

As her contraction hit Olivia took a deep breath, gritted her teeth and pushed with everything she had in her. One nurse counted down from ten while she squeezed Elliot and Don's hands, they would definitely need some ice after.

"And relax." The midwife said. "Just let the next contraction pass, then on the one after it, deep breath and push."

Olivia did as she was told, letting the next contraction rip through her before the on after it came and she pushed again.

"Ok baby is crowning, team get ready." She announced before giving Olivia an encouraging smile.

"Same again on the next push Olivia."

Again Olivia did as she was told but half way through the push the midwife's yell had her stopping.

"What is it?" Olivia asked panicked.

"The chord's around the baby's neck, just hold on for a second Olivia don't panic." The midwife said but Olivia was panicking already. "Ok we're free." Olivia let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding, as did Don and Elliot. "Next contraction Olivia push."

One more Olivia took a deep breath and pushed with all her might.

"We've got the head, same again Olivia we're almost there."

"That's it Liv." Don encouraged. "Nearly there."

"I want Dom." She said close to tears.

"He'll be with you soon." Don reassured. "Ready?" He said now recognising how Olivia tensed when a contraction was starting.

Again Olivia took a deep breath, gritted her teeth and pushed.

"Just one more Olivia." The Midwife said even though Olivia was sure she'd heard a small cry already. Again Olivia pushed and she felt her baby come free and a cry echo around the room. She collapsed back in the bed.

"Don." She nodded and Don knew what it meant and hurried over to cut the baby's chord.

"You did it Liv." Elliot beamed as Olivia gave one last push at the midwife's request to deliver the placenta.

"Here he is." A doctor announced placing the naked new born on his mother's chest.

"Hey, hey baby." Olivia sobbed happily. "I'm your Mommy." She added as she kissed his head not caring about the blood and gore covering him, just happy that he was here.

"Well done Olivia." Don smiled as he sat back down.

"We need to take him now Olivia, just check his breathing, as soon as we're back on the maternity ward we'll hopefully bring him back to you."

Olivia took one last look and placed one more kiss before reluctantly handing baby Pruitt over to the nurse. She watched him being taken with a heavy heart but then everything was all systems go to get her to the maternity ward where she and her son would be reunited.


	21. Chapter 21

Olivia lay in her bed holding her son. He'd spent the night in the NICU because he wasn't holding his temperature well but she'd been with him for a few hours before being showered and changed into the pyjamas in her maternity bag that Casey had collected for her.

The whole 'family' had been in to see her briefly but now she sat in bed holding her baby boy, just waiting for her husband to join them.

"He'll be here soon Olivia." Don said from the chair beside her where he'd slept all night not wanting to leave them alone.

"I know." She sighed. "I just wish…"

"I know." Don replied as the baby boy in her hand gripped at her finger allowing her to run her thumb over his tiny hand.

"He's perfect." Olivia whispered through her joyful tears. "I just need Dom here now."

"He'll be here." Don replied gently knowing it was an antagonising wait for Olivia knowing her husband was somewhere in the air on the way home to them.

When the door opened Olivia's heart beat fast hoping it was her husband and she couldn't hide her disappointment when he partner stepped in.

"Just got off the phone with Dominic, he's arrived Brooklyn, he's on his way." Elliot smiled knowing she wasn't disappointed that he was there but just disappointed that Dominic wasn't.

"Thank you." Olivia smiled as he came in.

"So how is our little mascot doing?" He asked as Olivia had dressed him in a small NYPD onesie.

"Ok… I don't want to put him down." Olivia said looking at her partner.

"I was the same with Maureen." He admitted. "They're so small, he won't stay that tiny forever Liv and you'll have to put him down eventually.

"I know, just not yet." She smirked as the baby began to fuss in her arms. "Little prince, Daddy is on the way." That seemed to settle the baby down and he looked at his Mother with brilliant blue eyes, he had a mop of dark brown locks already in place and Olivia thought he was the most beautiful baby she'd ever laid eyes on.

It was twenty minutes later before the door opened and Olivia's husband stepped through the door. She beamed at him as his eyes met hers before traveling down to the little blue bundle in her arms.

"We'll leave you two alone." Don said getting to his feet. "Welcome home Marine."

"Thank you." He said quietly before hoping on his crutches to the seat Elliot had occupied.

"It's really you." Olivia said reaching out and touching his face, he rubbed his head into her hand gently.

"It's really me… God I've missed you."

"Meet our son." Olivia said and he leant over to accepted the baby from his wife. "Harry William Pruitt."

"He's perfect Olivia." Dominic sniffed as tears pooled in his eyes.

"Yeah." Olivia cried. "Yeah he is." She said leaning in to the arm he was awkwardly wrapping around her shoulders as he hoped onto the bed beside her so they could hold their son together.

"I imagined this moment over and over on the plane ride home, I didn't think it would be this perfect though… hey Harry, I'm your Daddy… I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you came into the world but you were on my mind the whole time I was lost in the desert, you and your Mommy." He looked at Olivia who was crying quietly. "He's beautiful as are you."

"I've seen better days." Olivia joked. "I'm so happy you're here."

"And not going anywhere."

"Don't say things you don't mean."

"I do mean Olivia, I applied for a promotion and I found out I got it, when my leg's better I'm stationed in Brooklyn."

"Really?" Olivia was beyond excited.

"Yeah, I'm here to stay, with you and our son." He smiles before kissing her lightly.


	22. Chapter 22

EPILOGUE

Olivia watched as her six year old son ran around the garden, she couldn't believe it had been six years since she had given birth to him.

Life had been pretty good since then. She was still a Detective with SVU in Manhattan though she now had a commute from Long Island every day. Dominic's new job came with a very nice pay increase and continued increase over the years meaning they'd been able to afford a family home on the island.

Of course it wasn't just their home and their bank accounts that had grown, so had their family. Harry had two brothers and a sister who he loved dearly, Olivia had given birth naturally to them all and none of which had been more traumatic than Harry's birth.

As she remembered her second child's birth she looked over at her second born son. He was a spitting image of his father, whereas Harry's eyes had changed to be a chocolate brown in the same shape as his mothers. Charlie Dominic was nearly five now, she and Dominic really hadn't wasted any time in getting pregnant again with him.

Then there was her third son, her baby boy. Brayden Oscar Pruitt was now three, only just turned and he was full of life and liked to think he could keep up with his big brothers even though he clearly couldn't, he had been born exactly two weeks late and had been a big baby but it hadn't stayed that way as he always seemed so small next to his brother.

And then there was Olivia's little miracle, the girl she'd wanted since her second pregnancy she'd gotten when her pill failed on her. They had originally agreed no more children but then Olivia had found out she was pregnant with Heidi Olivia Pruitt, her now one year old baby girl.

Heidi, Brayden, Charlie and Harry where Olivia's world along with Dominic. She now worked less hours having cut down to part time when Heidi came along working no more than thirty hours a week unless absolutely necessary, Dominic worked forty two hours per week meaning they could be a real family, enjoying spending time together and the couple never argued about never seeing each other.

"Hey are you getting something to eat?" Elliot asked as he held a burger in his hand.

"In a minute, I'm watching the kids."

"They'll still be there even if you go and get some food before Fin eats it all." Elliot chuckled, Olivia was a great Mom and he'd got to witness it every day.

"I know." She smiled, she just didn't want to miss a moment of her son's sixth birthday party for some reason.

"Go on, I'll keep an eye on them." Elliot said settling into the chair beside Olivia's to keep an eye on the little kids who were running around with Eli, he was only a year older than Harry and the two along with Charlie were the closest of friends, the age gap between them and Brayden meant the little one got left out a little more.

"Heidi, leave the boys alone!" Dominic called as his wife approached, the toddler trying to intervene in the soccer game the boys had begun playing.

"Ball!" Heidi yelled pointing to the ball while looking at her father.

"Yeah, Boy's ball, come over here to Mommy and Daddy." Dominic yelled as he put together a burger for his wife.

"Heidi do you want a sausage?" Olivia yelled taking one from the plate and snapping it in half for the youngest who squealed and hurried towards them.

Olivia could only grin, she had the perfect family and as cheesy as it sounded, since Dominic had been home after Harry's birth she'd had the storybook happily ever after.

_**The End**_


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